Boeing 787 to keep 180-minute extended range permission: FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday said Boeing Co's 787 airliner would retain permission to fly up to 180 minutes over remote areas and oceans once regulators allowed the Dreamliner to return to the skies.

Regulators on Friday approved a revamped battery system for the 787, paving the way for the high-tech jet to return to service after more than three months of grounding prompted by lithium-ion batteries that burned on the planes.

The FAA did not mention the extended range certification, or ETOPS, in its statement on Friday, but a representative for the regulatory agency later told Reuters the 180-minute permission Boeing had obtained before the battery-related grounding had not changed.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal-Esa; Editing by Gary Hill)