After finally getting the permission on the Federal Aviation Administration to test flight its 787 Dreamliner and try to fix their lithium-ion battery, which caused a fire on one Dreamliner owned by Japanese Airline and another owned by Nippon Airways, Boeing has some good news coming their way in the form of British Airways' parent company, the International Airlines Group (IAG) announcing on Wednesday their intentions to order 18 addition Dreamliners.
It is a decision that Reuters describes as a "show of confidence in the aircraft that has been grounded since January because of battery problems."
The order of 18 is in addition to the 24 Dreamliners IAG already are awaiting on.
Bloomberg News added "IAG indicated there's a chance for more 787 purchases by the company's Iberia unit, which has historically been a strong customer for Boeing rival Airbus."
The plan for IAG is to phase out and/or replace, some, if not all, of its Boeing 747-400s, with the Dreamliner, by the end of 2021.
Jon Ostrower of The Wall Street Journal notes that British Airways didn't specify in its recently placed order exactly which model of the Dreamliner it intends to take. That, Ostrower writes, "leaves open the possibility that British Airways would be the launch customer for a third Dreamliner model, dubbed the 787-10X, that is being discussed with potential customers."
The aforementioned model, according to Ostrower, "would seat around 320 passengers, which would put it in the same capacity range of the 747-400s that BA will phase out."
When it comes to IAG's probable-plan for Iberia to potential order Dreamliners, the Financial Times writes " IAG said it could be willing to purchase an undisclosed number of Dreamliners for Iberia, its loss-making Spanish subsidiary, but only when the airline has restructured."
IAG says in a regulatory filing quoted by AFP, that "firm orders will only be made when Iberia has restructured and reduced its cost base and is in a position to grow profitably."
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