More Than 1,700 Flights Axed In April And May

Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) has cancelled its entire schedule of Dreamliner flights through May, including the country's Golden Week holiday. The airplanes remain grounded as U.S. and Japanese aviation safety officials work with Boeing to get at the root cause of a battery fire and other issues with the airplane's batteries.

The move comes as analysts indicate that fixing the Dreamliner's battery problems could stretch beyond the mid-April timeframe that Boeing is hopeful to meet. On Friday, the company presented a potential solution to the problem, but one that does not get to the as-yet-to-be-determined root cause, to the FAA.

The International Business Times reports that analysts say getting approval for the re-designed batteries could take several months as Boeing engineers fabricate and test the new systems. Carter Leake, BB&T Capital Markets aerospace Analyst, told the BBC "Recertification suggest time."

The International Business Times reports that Boeing has recently paid $125 million to Qantas due to the grounding of the Dreamliners, and compensation to other airlines is likely.

(ANA Dreamliner image from file)

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov