JAL to replace Dreamliner with 777 aircraft for limited Tokyo-Boston service Thursday, Friday

By Katie Johnston, Globe Staff

Japan Airlines said it will fly a Boeing 777 from Tokyo to Boston Thursday instead of a 787, after an emergency landing of a 787 operated by All Nippon Airways prompted both airlines to ground their Dreamliners Wednesday for safety checks.

For Japan Airlines, or JAL, concerns about the 787, also known as the Dreamliner, meant canceling its Tokyo-Boston flights scheduled for Wednesday.

The 777, which is larger and less fuel-efficient than the 787, will fly into Logan International Airport Thursday, stay overnight, and then fly out on Friday.

It normally takes two aircraft to operate the Boston-Tokyo flight, and the airline has only one 777 available to fly the route, which means the Thursday flight out of Boston and the Friday flight into Boston will be canceled, JAL said.

An All Nippon Dreamliner flight was forced to land at Takamatsu airport in western Japan Wednesday after a cockpit message showed battery problems and a burning smell was detected in the cockpit and cabin.

It is the latest in a series of problems for Boeing’s newest and most technologically advanced jet. Since its launch in late 2011, the plane has been plagued by a series of problems, including a battery fire and a fuel leak in Boston last week that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to order a comprehensive review of the 787.