The first Boeing 787 with United Airlines elevated onboard cabin has been plagued with several problems since its delivery. It now appears that N61101 has been sent back to Boeing. As suggested by aviation insider JonNYC on X, the aircraft is experiencing ‘not a minor issue’, and has been removed from service while it is inspected by the American aircraft manufacturer.

The plane was first delivered to Star Alliance carrier United in February this year and is fitted with the airline’s elevated onboard interior, which includes new Polaris business class seats. The plane has a special decal celebrating the airline’s 100th birthday. Problems began for the aircraft even on its first international rotation, between San Francisco International Airport(SFO) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN).

Ongoing Maintenance Issues With The Boeing 787-9

Credit: Flickr

United has faced ongoing maintenance issues with the new aircraft, and this first led to the plane’s return flight to Singapore having to return to San Francisco empty. It was hoped to be all the issues the new plane would face; however, more recently, the plane, according to One Mile At A Time, has seen a string of problems this month, leading to the plane eventually being removed from service and sent back to the manufacturer.

Earlier in June, the plane arrived in Singapore and was forced to cancel its return flight and be ferried back to San Francisco with no one on board. The plane was in maintenance for almost a week before returning to commercial service on a trip to London Heathrow Airport(LHR). Unfortunately, the return flight was then also canceled, and the plane was ferried back to SFO empty again. This has now seen the plane be sent to Moses Lake for a more detailed inspection by Boeing.

Simple Flying reached out to United, which confirmed the aircraft was with Boeing for service.

An Elevated Onboard Experience Grounded

Credit: Flickr

United is expecting a total of 30 new 787-9s to be delivered, which will feature the airline’s elevated United Polaris Studio suite, which offers passengers a new experience including closed privacy dividers (which couldn’t be closed due to regulator issues), and an elevated onboard dining experience.

The plane offers the largest onboard entertainment screen for passengers in economy class, and the second largest for premium customers globally. The enhanced onboard offering was debuted on services to Singapore, before being added to London just weeks later. Aircraft characteristics below as per ch-aviation:

Onboard the plane itself, it features a total of 222 seats, which include 99 in premium cabins alone across both United Polaris and Premium economy. Travelers can enjoy the luxe Polaris Studio suite, which are extra large pods with the highest-end seating option that United will offer.

Boeing Will Hopefully Resolve The Ongoing Issues With This Flagship Aircraft

Credit: Shutterstock

United will be hoping for a prompt resolution to the ongoing problems that are plaguing one of its flagship aircraft, with passengers booked on imminent future reservations likely having changed travel plans. The plane has been shipped to Moses Lake, a Boeing maintenance facility in Washington state, where Boeing will do a thorough service of the aircraft.

This plane is particularly important for Boeing given its new premium long-haul cabin offering, and the first of 30 to be delivered. On the number of services it has operated so far, it has been well received, especially in the premium cabins. A feature in Polaris is the benefit of the middle two suites in row 9 that can be configured into a double bed, as reviewed by The Points Guy.

The aircraft, at this stage, has no return date to service and will remain with Boeing until all maintenance issues are resolved.