The groundings of all Dreamliners in January followed two major incidents concerning the plane's two lithium-ion batteries.
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The groundings on Wednesday were the first for any Dreamliner since commercial service began in the fall of 2011.
The groundings have led to hundreds of canceled flights and big revenue losses.
The groundings have been a nightmare for Boeing, which competes with Airbus for the position as the world's largest commercial aircraft maker.
The groundings stemmed from a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration directive last week that planes should not fly until the problems are resolved.
So the operational impact of any engine-related grounding is decreased by having competing engines, but the frequency of engine-related groundings is probably increased.
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The groundings have led to hundreds of cancelled flights, and a loss of revenue for airlines that may yet involve claims against Boeing for compensation.
With regard to minimizing the impact of groundings caused by engine problems, the existence of two competing engines could help in some situations and hurt in others.
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At the time of the groundings, Boeing had orders for more than 800 of the planes from airlines around the world attracted by the 787's increased fuel efficiency.
They also argue that competition could improve the operational performance and reliability of both engines, insulate the military from engine-related problems leading to fleet groundings, and bolster the jet-engine industrial base.
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Engine-related groundings are not common, but when they occur the fact that only a portion of the fleet is equipped with the flawed engine would presumably enable the rest of the fleet to keep flying.
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