US transportation officials will hold a press conference on Friday to discuss issues related to recent electrical problems on Boeing Co's new 787 Dreamliner, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The source, who did not want to be identified because the information is not public, declined to provide further details.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will announce a review into the jet's power system at the Friday press conference, according to Bloomberg News.
The conference is scheduled to take place in Washington at 0930 EDT (1430 GMT).
Boeing Co has been seeking approval from aviation authorities to fly the Dreamliners in long transocean routes, but US regulators have raised questions about the reliability of the plane, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the day.
The FAA review could delay the approval process.
The jet has experienced three mishaps in as many days this week, including an electrical fire that caused severe damage to a plane.
The FAA declined to comment.
One of Boeing's chief innovations with the 787 is its use of electrical power to run on-board functions such as hydraulics and air conditioning, instead of relying on heavier pneumatic systems used on other planes. The weight savings make the 787 more fuel efficient, a big advantage for airlines.
To power the electrical system, the 787 uses generators attached to the aircraft engines, which produce about 1.5 megawatts of power, enough to power about 300 hot water heaters. The system uses high-voltage distribution panels and powerful batteries, such as the one that caught fire in Boston on Monday.
A battery fire, on a 787 jet operated by Japan Airlines, occurred in Boston on Monday while the empty plane was parked at a gate after passengers had disembarked. That was followed by a fuel leak on another JAL 787 on Tuesday, and by brake problems on an All Nippon Airways 787 that forced the airline to cancel a flight on Wednesday.
