Boeing working on 787 battery changes for fire risk: WSJ

(Reuters) - Boeing Co is working on a series of battery design changes designed to minimize fire risks on its grounded 787 passenger jet and get the plane flying again as soon as March, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Regulators grounded the 787 on January 16 after a battery fire in Boston and a second incident involving a battery on a flight in Japan.

The newspaper, citing government and industry officials, said Boeing was looking at changes within the battery to keep heat or fire from spreading. Technical details have not yet been finalized or approved, though, the paper's sources noted.

One source added that under a best-case scenario, passenger flights could resume next month.

Some 50 Dreamliners have been grounded while investigators try to solve the battery mystery, costing airlines tens of millions of dollars already.

(Reporting By Ben Berkowitz; Editing by Gary Hill, Bernard Orr)