Boeing Co said Wednesday that numerous replacements of potentially flammable lithium-ion batteries by airlines flying the new 787 Dreamliner were not made because of safety concerns.

"We have not seen 787 battery replacements occurring as a result of safety concerns," the company said in a statement.


The statement comes after All Nippon Airways Co Ltd and Japan Airlines Co Ltd, Japan's two biggest airlines, said they had repeatedly replaced sub-par lithium-ion batteries on their Dreamliners in the months before the two incidents that led to the 787 groundings.

Boeing said: "The batteries are being returned because our robust protection scheme ensures that no battery that has been deeply discharged or improperly disconnected can be used. The third-highest category for battery returns is exceeding the battery shelf life - this is a fact of life in dealing with batteries; they sometimes expire and must be returned."