Burning airliner shuts Heathrow

LONDON: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by Ethiopian Airlines caught fire at Britain's Heathrow Airport, forcing the closure of both runways yesterday, in a blow for the US plane maker that sent its New York shares down more than 6 percent.

TV footage showed the Dreamliner surrounded by foam used by firefighters. Heathrow briefly closed both its runways to deal with the fire which broke out while the plane was parked at a remote stand.

There were no passengers on board.

“A Boeing 787 Dreamliner suffered an on-board internal fire,” a Heathrow spokeswoman said. “The plane is now parked at a remote parking stand several hundred metres away from any passenger terminals.”

It was not clear whether the fire was related to the battery, which was the cause of the previous fires on Dreamliner.

Boeing said it was aware of the fire and had people on the ground working to understand the cause.

The plane, which was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in November, arrived at Heathrow from Addis Ababa in the early hours of yesterday. – Reuters

PICTURE: REUTERS ABLAZE: Emergency crew near the tail section of an empty Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operated by Ethiopian Airlines, which caught fire at Britain’s Heathrow Airport yesterday.