CNN reports that FAA officials ordered on Wednesday all U.S.-based airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 787 Dreamliners until a "fire risk linked to batteries" can be fixed aboard the massive jetliners.

The announcement comes the same day that two Japanese airlines grounded their 787 fleets following an emergency landing by an All Nippon Airways flight, the Associated Press reports.

KPCC's Brian Watt spoke with Nancy Castles, Media Relations Director at Los Angeles International Airport, about the number of Dreamliners at LAX, and the potential local impact of the grounding order.

"We have nearly 1,700 flights per day at LAX, Castles said. "No more than two or three of them are on 787s. There really aren’t many parked here."

The 250-passenger aircraft has a flight range of 8,200 nautical miles.

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On Thursday, United Airlines expanded its service with the first regularly scheduled 787 route between LAX and Tokyo. Additionally, LAN Airlines celebrated the inaugural US flight of its 787 Dreamliner from LAX to Santiago, Chile.

In locked and upright anticipation, local fans of flying metal first saw Boeing's Dreamliner when it touch-down in Southern California last March during the 787 Dream Tour, KPCC reported.

The 250-passenger, new-generation commercial aircraft was designed with a flight range of 8,200 nautical miles, and "extensive use of composite materials and reconceived aerodynamics have resulted in fuel consumption that is 20 percent lower than previous generation jets and it also boasts lower carbon dioxide emissions," explains U-T San Diego.

Future passengers aboard Boeing's baby can expect to find better air filtration, bigger overhead bins, redesigned lighting, and larger windows. 

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NASA announced Friday that Hawthorne-based Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or Space X, will receive $440 million toward developing small spaceships to take astronauts to the International Space Station.

Space X, founded by billionaire PayPal co-creator and Tesla Motors head, Elon Musk, was one of three aerospace companies named to develop the ferrying flying machines. Boeing was also selected to receive $460 million, and Sierra Nevada Corp. won a contract worth $212.5 million.   

"We have selected three companies that will help keep us on track to end the outsourcing of human spaceflight and create high-paying jobs in Florida and elsewhere across the country," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a statement.

Together, the winners will share more than $1.1 billion as part of NASA's efforts to get private companies to do what the space shuttle no longer does. Currently, the U.S. space agency relies on Russia for ISS transport at the cost of about $63 million per astronaut.

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Photo by John Pozadzides via Flickr Creative Commons

Boeing 787 Dreamliner First Class Cabin

In locked and upright anticipation, fans of flying metal are preparing for the Southern California touch-down of Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner. 

The 250-passenger, new-generation commercial aircraft, has been on a satin jacket-worthy world tour since December. San Diego and Long Beach were among the March stops announced Wednesday on Boeing's fourth leg of the "787 Dream Tour." 

The aircraft was designed with a flight range of 8,200 nautical miles, and "extensive use of composite materials and reconceived aerodynamics have resulted in fuel consumption that is 20 percent lower than previous generation jets and it also boasts lower carbon dioxide emissions," explains U-T San Diego.

Future passengers aboard Boeing's baby can expect to find better air filtration, bigger overhead bins, redesigned lighting, and larger windows. Hollywood-ready, the display model jet scheduled to land at San Diego International Airport on March 13 will be showing-off a special interior.

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