Norwegian Air CEO says Boeing changed 787 pump design

             
The chief executive of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA said on Thursday that Boeing Co changed the design of a hydraulic pump that failed on its 787 Dreamliner in recent weeks, causing the $200 million high-tech plane to be taken out of service for two weeks.            

Bjorn Kjos, CEO of the airline, told Reuters in an interview that the faulty pump controlled flaps used to steer the plane, and its failure put the jet out of service every other day.             

He said Boeing redesigned the hydraulic pump and is completing two weeks of overhauling the 787 Dreamliner and fixing the pump and other equipment. He said the plane's electrical system was "fine" but software flaws had caused incorrect warnings to appear in the cockpit.              

Only one of the airline's two 787 Dreamliners had serious issues, he said, and that plane is due to come back from service by Boeing this week. He said the Dreamliner had been a "fantastic" performer on fuel burn and seat costs when flying, and he wants to buy more of them to support passenger growth at Norwegian Air that he forecast at 20 percent a year, up from about 20 million passengers a year currently.               


REUTERS