Dreamliner customers were given another headache earlier, after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered mandatory checks on the 787 following concerns over possible fuel leaks.

While not unusual for new planes, the US organisation ordered the checks following fears over manufacturing flaws at Boeing plants.

It is the latest issue in the development of the Dreamliner project, with the plane initially three years behind schedule when first delivered.

The FAA issued a safety order requiring inspection of fuel line couplings in the engine pylons to make sure they are correctly assembled and installed.

The potential hazard of a fuel leak is running out of fuel, engine power loss or shutdown.

In response, Boeing said there were “multiple layers of systems to ensure none of those things happen” and that the FAA order mandates the inspections already recommended by Boeing last month.

Inspections, which the FAA estimated to cost $2,712 per plane, have been completed on about half of the 33 jets in service around the world, Boeing said.