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Qatar Air 787 grounded on faulty generator

Qatar Airways said a 787 jet received from Boeing this week remains grounded with a faulty generator, a problem similar to what forced last week’s emergency landing of a Dreamliner operated by United Continental Holdings.

Qatar Air’s third 787 exhibited the failure on its December 9 delivery flight from the US, Akbar Al Baker, the Gulf carrier’s chief executive officer, said on Thursday at London’s Heathrow airport. The plane may remain grounded for at least another four days while Boeing sends spares and a recovery team.

“These problems are unacceptable because this aircraft has been flying for the last 14 months,” Al Baker said, referring to the Dreamliner, which entered commercial service late last year. He added that Doha-based Qatar Air will ask Boeing to cover its losses. “Definitely we will demand compensation. We are not buying airplanes from them to put in a museum.”

The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Thursday it’s working with Boeing to find the root cause of the recent generator issues. United’s 787 was forced to land in New Orleans on December 4 after a panel failed, sending error messages from one of six generators.

The model’s new electrical system is one of its key selling points. The 787, the world’s first composite-plastic jet, saves on fuel with a system that doesn’t divert air from the engines for power, instead using five times as much electricity as older jets.

“Two aircraft having the same problem — the same major problem — so quickly is a cause of concern,” Al Baker said.

Chicago-based Boeing said it’s too early to say if the Qatar failure was the same as United’s.