Officials at the American Federal Aviation Administration have ordered a review of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner after a series of incidents cast doubt over the reliability of the plane.

The review will look at the design and manufacture of the plane, which was launched in 2011.

The decision follows a week of negative headlines for the Boeing aircraft.

An electrical fire, a brake problem, a fuel spill and cracks in a cockpit windshield have affected Dreamliner flights in the past week.

It is not clear whether planes in operation will be grounded for the course of the review.

An electrical fire broke out on board a Japan Airlines Dreamliner on Monday.

No injuries were reported following the incident, as passengers had already disembarked.

On Tuesday, Japan Airlines cancelled a Boston-Tokyo flight after about 40 gallons of fuel spilled as the plane prepared for takeoff.

On Wednesday, All Nippon Airways, launch customer of the Boeing Dreamliner, was forced to cancel a 787 flight from Yamaguchi-Tokyo because of a brake problem.

Last year, a United Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing because of an electrical problem.

In December, Qatar Airways grounded one of its 787 Dreamliners after several manufacturing faults caused electrical problems similar to those that affected theUnited plane.

In a statement following the FAA announcement the plane manufacturer said: “Boeing is confident in the design and performance of the 787.

“It is a safe and efficient airplane that brings tremendous value to our customers and an improved flying experience to their passengers.”

Boeing pointed out the airplane has logged 50,000 hours of flight and there are more than 150 flights occurring daily.

Bowing went on to claim the in-service performance is on par with the industry’s best-ever introduction into service – the Boeing 777.

“Like the 777, at 15 months of service, we are seeing the 787’s fleet wide dispatch reliability well above 90 per cent,” added the Boeing statement.

“Regular reviews of program and technical progress are an important part of the validation and oversight process that has created today’s safe and efficient air transportation system.”