Back in the Dreamliner again.
Flights on Boeing's new superairliner -- grounded as an issue with the airplane's lithium ion battery was sorted out -- from San Jose to Tokyo are scheduled to resume June 1, according to reports.
Nippon Airways' fleet had been grounded since January when a flight en route to Japan "filled with smoke," the San Jose Mercury news reported. A week before, a battery on a parked jet had caught fire.
That led to United Airways grounding its six 787s; the Japanese carrier had already put its planes in the repair shop.
But now, it appears that 12 of Nippon Airways' 17 jets are now airworthy and ready to resume the five-a-week scheduled flights on June 1.
It costs about $1,000 to fly from San Jose to Tokyo from Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport to Japan's Narita International Airport. There are flights on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays plus Saturdays and Sundays.
Airport experts note that the flights boost Mineta's profile, but the airport still needs more.
"They're still stuck with a high-cost airport," said Dan Boyd, an aviation consultant who estimated it cost $400,000 per plane to retrofit each Dreamliner.
