The B787 Dreamliner of Ethiopian Airlines, which suffered severe structural damage during a fire while parked at Heathrow earlier in the year, has undertaken test flights with the aim to restore the certificate of airworthiness before returning the aircraft into service.
On July 12th did a malfunctioning locator beacon at the aft of the aircraft ignite, burning through the hull and leaving the aircraft basically a write off.
Not only needed the entire rear section of the aircraft’s hull to be fixed but also all the entire interior fittings, which were damaged by smoke.
Wall and ceiling panels, overhead bins, seats and carpets were entirely replaced, giving the plane an ‘as new’ look.
The aircraft, registered as ET-AOP undertook an extended test flight over the North Sea on Saturday, reaching up to 39.000 feet.
BY NESRU JEMA
