Boeing has been granted permission by the United States Federal Aviation Administration to carry out test flights on the 787 Dreamliner.

All 50 Dreamliners presently in service with airlines around the world are currently grounded following a series of incidents with onboard batteries.

One plane caught fire, while a malfunction forced another to make an emergency landing.

The FAA said the test flights will help collect data about battery performance “while the aircraft is airborne”.

The FAA said it had asked Boeing to conduct extensive pre-flight testing and inspections and that the flights would be conducted “in defined airspace over unpopulated areas”.

The tests are seen as a first step in the process of getting the Dreamliner back in the air.