United Airlines' Troubled 787-9 Flies Again After Repairs
United Airlines has been operating its brand-new Boeing 787-9s on several high-profile routes, including flights from San Francisco to Singapore and London. However, one of these aircraft, N61101 (tail number 1101), experienced a series of technical issues that led to it being grounded multiple times.
The Elevated Interior 787-9 is United's flagship plane, featuring all-new Polaris suites with doors, front-row Polaris Studio seats, and updated Premium Plus and economy seats. The first international flight for the Elevated 787-9 was on April 22 from San Francisco to Singapore (UA1), but the return service to SFO ended up turning around due to an electrical odor.
The issue persisted, with N61101 being grounded in Singapore on June 4 and again after a flight from London Heathrow. United eventually sent the plane back to Boeing for repairs. The manufacturer's technicians worked on the aircraft at its Moses Lake facility, replacing both TCAS antennas, which are related to the aircraft's traffic collision avoidance system.
After spending ten days in Moses Lake, N61101 returned to SFO and reentered service on July 2, flying from SFO to LHR. However, a return flight on July 3 was canceled due to technical issues with the TCAS system again.