Boeing Dreamliner 787′ on fire – Heathrow Airport closed – Updated

Runways at London’s Heathrow airport have closed after an incident reportedly involving an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet.

LATEST UPDATE  : Heathrow Airport reopens following fire on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The airport said in a tweet that there were no passengers aboard the Ethiopian Airlines plane, and British police said the fire is being treated as unexplained. London’s fire department said its firefighters were on standby to assist Heathrow’s crews.

Television images showed nearly a dozen fire trucks on the scene and firefighters standing around the Ethiopian Airlines plane, which was parked on a remote stand.

Fire-retardant foam appeared to have been sprayed, but no damage to the plane was immediately apparent.

The incident is likely to heap more pressure on Boeing Co., which makes the Dreamliner.

The Dreamliner was grounded for three months earlier this year amid concerns about overheating lithium-ion batteries. Shares in Boeing have fallen more than 1.3 percent on the news.

Arrivals and departures have been suspended, a spokesman for the airport said. The airport said in a tweet that there were no passengers aboard.

Fifty Dreamliners worldwide were grounded in January because of battery malfunctions.

Boeing later modified the jets with new batteries.

In April an Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner flew from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on the first commercial flight since the grounding.

UPDATES 

Pictures on Twitter show an aircraft close to a terminal building surrounded by fire vehicles. London Fire Brigade said its crews were standing by to assist Heathrow staff.