Air accident experts will continue their investigation into the cause of a fire on board a Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet at Heathrow Airport amid concerns the aircraft type could be grounded again.
The Ethiopian Airlines-operated plane caught fire while on a remote parking stand shortly after 4.30pm on Friday but nobody was on board and there were no injuries.
Boeing temporarily withdrew the Dreamliner from service earlier this year for modifications after concerns that batteries on board could cause fires.
Thousands of travellers faced long delays resulting from diversions as both runways at the airport were closed to all flights for an hour and a half while emergency crews dealt with the blaze. The runways are now fully open.
Foam surrounds the Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner The US National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a representative to London to assist the Air Accidents Investigation Branch with their examination of the incident.
Ethiopian Airlines said the aircraft had been parked at Heathrow for more than eight hours before smoke was detected.
The fire appeared to have caused damage to the top of the plane's fuselage.
The Ethiopian Airlines plane involved in the Heathrow fire was the first Dreamliner to fly in April after the battery problems.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident Thomson Airways said a Dreamliner flight to Florida had to be diverted back to Manchester yesterday due to a "technical issue".
Boeing shares fell sharply on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday after news broke of the incident.
Damage to the top of the Dreamliner's fuselage Travel Expert Simon Calder told Sky News: "It's entirely possible that the Dreamliner could be grounded which I think would be unprecedented in the history of aviation to have an aircraft type be grounded twice in quick succession.
"If that were to happen, clearly, airlines would be very badly affected they'd have to completely to have to reconfigure their fleets which they were hoping to be a very profitable summer."
Thomson Airways became the first British carrier to operate the Dreamliner earlier this week and is taking delivery of eight of the planes.
The company had hoped to take delivery of the first of its 787s in time to start Dreamliner operations in May but this was delayed due to the battery problems.
Thomson had to scrap plans to use the ultra-green aircraft in May and June and only received its first plane in June.
The battery problems followed endless production difficulties for the Dreamliner, which has been marketed as a quiet, fuel-efficient aircraft carrying between 201 and 290 passengers on medium-range routes.
It should have entered passenger service in 2008 but it was not until October 2011 that the first commercial flight was operated by Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways.
British Airways is taking delivery of the first two of its 24 Dreamliners, while Virgin Atlantic said it "remains committed" to taking the first of its 16 Dreamliners in September next year.
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