Boeing moves ahead with stretch Dreamliner

CHICAGO, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. airplane maker Boeing Co. is proceeding with steps to build a stretch version of the grounded Dreamliner 787, a source told The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reported Saturday a source with information on the company's plans said Boeing transported a major section of the 787-9 from Japan to Charleston, S.C., and another section was expected to arrive from Italy within a week.

The 787-9 is a second 787 option that will be 20-feet longer than the stock model and will carry 40 more passengers.

Boeing is moving ahead with the new model even though the first 50 787 Dreamliner jets are grounded around the world, as investigators look into a series of electrical fires that involved the jet's ion-lithium batteries.

Boeing Chief Executive Officer Jim McNerney said this week investigators were narrowing down possible causes for the fires, but the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration issued an update on the investigation Friday that did not suggest the probe would be over soon.