Boeing 787 in JAL livery

Two months ago, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to ground their Boeing 787 Dreamliners because of the "potential battery fire risk" from the airplane's onboard lithium ion batteries. The FAA's action came after a small fire aboard a Japan Airlines 787 on the ground at Boston's Logan International Airport was traced to a battery pack in that plane's auxiliary power unit, as well as a separate incident that forced the evacuation of an All Nippon Airways 787 in Japan.

Today Boeing announced today that it has commenced production on what it calls comprehensive improvements to the safety features of the Dreamliner's lithium ion batteries and said that it could be ready to proceed witih initial installation within the next few weeks. It is also building new enclosures for 787 batteries that could be be installed in airplanes in the weeks ahead.

This photo from March 2012 shows a Japan Airlines 787 taxiing towards the runway at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.