Honeywell backs UK recommendation on 787 emergency beacons

Honeywell International Inc on Thursday said it backed a proposal by British authorities to switch off its emergency beacons on Boeing Co's 787s after a fire on a parked plane in London, but said it was premature to jump to conclusions.

Honeywell said it would offer assistance to Boeing and the airlines that operate the 787 if needed. It said the temporary action was straightforward and it did not anticipate any material financial impact to the company.

Honeywell noted that the UK probe was continuing. The report said it was not clear whether the battery in the emergency beacon caught fire because of some internal release of energy or something external like an electrical short.

"The investigation continues, and it's premature to jump to conclusions," said spokesman Steve Brecken. He said Honeywell also supported conducting safety reviews for installations of any lithium battery-powered electronic locator transmitters from the variety of manufacturers who sell them.