Boeing's Dreamliner production plans not changing - USA TODAY

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Officials inspect an All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 which made an emergency landing at Takamatsu airport in Takamatsu, western Japan, earlier this month. (Photo: AP)

Company says its first order of business is to fix battery problems on the DreamlinerPlane maker's profits up 9% in fourth quarter, year over yearBoeing's net income beats estimates, excludes pension-related costs

Boeing announced record revenue of $81.7 billion for 2012 Wednesday and said it has no plans to change its 787 Dreamliner production schedule despite a government directive to investigate recent fires associated with the giant airplanes

In a fourth-quarter earnings report, the Seattle-based plane maker says it foresees "no significant impact" on its earnings or plans going forward from the recent problems that grounded the worldwide fleet of 787 Dreamliners.

"Our first order of business for 2013 is to resolve the battery issue on the 787 and return the airplanes safely to service with our customers," says Jim McNerney, Boeing's CEO.

The report coincided with Japan's All Nippon Airways (ANA) announcing that it had replaced lithium-ion batteries on its 787 Dreamliners 10 times because of a low charge before the jets were grounded worldwide on Jan. 16 due to battery problems, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

ANA spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka said Wednesday the airline was not required to report the battery swapping cases to Japan's Transport Ministry because they did not raise safety concerns and did not interfere with flights.

She said the batteries were replaced because they failed to charge properly or showed other problems.

In Seattle, Boeing spokeswoman Kate Bergman told USA TODAY that the company was aware of The New York Times report but had no comment.

In the United States, the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are conducting an investigation of the Boeing 787's battery problems.

Regulators said Wednesday they asked Boeing Co. to provide a full operating history of lithium-ion batteries used in its grounded 787 Dreamliners.

Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for the NTSB, says investigators only recently heard there had been "numerous issues with the use of these batteries," but "that will absolutely be part of the investigation."

All 50 Dreamliners worldwide were grounded after an ANA flight on Jan. 16 made an emergency landing in Japan when its main battery overheated. Earlier, on Jan. 7, a battery in a Japan Airlines 787 caught fire while parked at Boston's Logan International Airport.

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In Boeing's fourth quarter earnings report, the company reported earning $1.28 per share vs. Wall Street estimates of $1.19 a share on revenues of $22.4 billion. Excluding pension-related costs, Boeing's profits were up 9% in the fourth quarter vs. the same period a year ago.

"Strong fourth-quarter operating performance capped a year of significant growth and solid execution, driving higher earnings and cash flow for our company," McNerney says.

The company delivered more than 600 commercial airliners last year, including the first three Dreamliners built in Charleston.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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