Boeing (BA +1.11%) says its "first order of business for 2013" is to "resolve the battery issue on the 787 and return the airplanes safely to service with our customers." Dreamliners were grounded earlier this month as agencies in the U.S. and Japan investigate safety issues.
Boeing included the statement about the Dreamliner issue in its report of fourth-quarter and full-year 2012 results, in which it also said focus will also be placed on ramping up additional profit in commercial airplane production.
The day before that report, the National Transportation Safety Board issued an update of its investigation into a Jan. 7 battery fire aboard a Japan Airlines Boeing 787 in Boston. The board was previously conducting a macroscopic examination, and is now transitioning to the microscopic, to analyze the areas of thermal damage and internal short circuiting. NTSB investigators are working in Washington, Seattle, and Japan.
Boeing reported that production on the 787 continues, but the company has suspended deliveries until the FAA gives clearance.
Despite the latest wave of scrutiny, Boeing reported record revenue of $22.3 billion in the fourth quarter, and the company's 2013 guidance assumed no significant financial impact from the grounding of the 787s.
