Boeing 787 Dreamliner Wins FAA Vote of Confidence For Longer Flights

Above, a United Airlines Dreamliner at Los Angeles International Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" has obtained a vote of confidence from the Federal Aviation Administration in their approval of extended operations for the aircraft.

According to NBC News:

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday approved extended operations for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, a move that will allow a wider range of routes and that marks a vote of confidence in the high-tech jet at a time of renewed scrutiny. 

The approval, known as ETOPS, will allow airlines to fly routes that are up to 330 minutes, or 5-1/2 hours, away from a landing field, versus the 180-minute, or three-hour, limit in place since the Dreamliner was launched in 2011. 

The FAA approval formally applies only to U.S. carriers, and within that group only United Airlines now operates the 787. But regulators in other countries typically follow the FAA's lead.

My round-trip flights to Japan last February were in United Airlines Boeing 787s.

To read the full story, go here.