United Airlines has put its grounded Boeing 787 Dreamliner back into its flight schedules beginning May 31.
That moves up the airline's projections on returning the Dreamliner to passenger service by about a week, suggesting confidence that Boeing's proposed battery fix will get the new-age jets flying again soon.
"We are in the process of formulating our domestic flying plans and will be making additional schedule changes as we gain visibility to the time line for certification and modification work," United spokeswoman Christen David confirmed Monday toCNN.
Travel website Jaunted.com was among the first to note United's expedited 787 return, spotting 787s in United's flight schedules for some Houston-Denver flights beginning May 31.
David says the airline will make more schedule changes involving the Dreamliner as the airline gets a better idea of when the plane will be cleared to fly.
Bloomberg News notes that "the previous goal was to restart that service with a 787 on June 5, pending U.S. regulators' approval of Boeing's proposed upgrades to the jet's lithium-ion batteries."
United says it expects to resume international 787 flying June 10, when the carrier will launch its postponed Denver-Tokyo service. That route was to begin in May, but was delayed after the aviation regulators from the U.S. and elsewhere grounded the jet. Also on June 10, United will begin deploying some of its Dreamliners on flights between Houston Bush Intercontinental and London Heathrow.
Boeing's proposed fix for the 787's smoldering batteries still needs approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. The fix will then have to be installed on each plane. United, which owns six 787s, is the only U.S. airline that currently has Dreamliners in its fleet.
BUSINESS TRAVELLER: Carriers set dates for Dreamliner return
AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS TRAVELLER: Airlines ready to restart Boeing 787 flights
AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS TRAVELLER: Airlines ready to restart Boeing 787 flights
Other airlines also have begun putting the Dreamliners back into the schedules, though all are cautioning that the schedules remain subject to change, according toAustralian Business Traveller.
Qatar Airways, for example, expects to resume Dreamliner flying between Doha and London Heathrow on May 15, though an airline spokeswoman warned Business Traveller magazine that its 787 schedule "remains subject to change."
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
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