Dreamliner flight cancelled after brake problem in Japan

Japan's All Nippon Airways said it cancelled a Boeing Dreamliner flight Wednesday because of a brake problem, the third glitch to hit the next-generation aircraft in as many days.

ANA 698, a domestic flight bound for Tokyo's Haneda airport, was cancelled because brake parts from the rear left undercarriage needed to be replaced, said a spokesman at Yamaguchi Ube airport in western Japan.

"In the cockpit, an error message related to its brake system was displayed," an ANA spokeswoman said.

"The exact nature and the cause of the error message is not clear yet," she said, adding that the 98 passengers were switched to another flight for Haneda.

On Monday a Japan Airlines-operated 787 Dreamliner caught fire after landing in Boston on a flight from Tokyo. On Tuesday the same airline aborted a flight after around 40 gallons of fuel spilled onto the runway.

The Dreamliner has been touted as the great new hope for US manufacturer Boeing, which says its high-tech composite fibre body reduces weight and improves fuel efficiency.

But the incidents this week are only the latest in a series of glitches for the aircraft.

In July last year test engine trouble was the subject of a probe by the US National Transportation Safety Board.

On July 23, ANA said it was grounding five Dreamliners for repairs because of a defect in the Rolls-Royce engine.

In February, Boeing said around 55 Dreamliners were at risk of developing a fuselage problem.

Dow Jones Newswires reported that electrical problems prompted an emergency landing in New Orleans by a United Continental Dreamliner flight recently.

ANA, the first company to take delivery of a Dreamliner, began offering flights on the jet in October 2011.

The airline said in September it was ordering 11 more 787s in a deal with a list price of around $2.68 billion that will eventually take its fleet of Dreamliners to 66.

The carrier, Japan's biggest by passenger numbers, said at the time all of the new aircraft will be B787-9 and are expected to be delivered between 2018 and 2021.

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Just when I finished my previous blogpost, another negative news of the B787 popped up. This time round, it's the brakes creating the problem. How's your confidence level in the Dreamliner now?