Boeing's 777s are the only twin-engine planes approved to fly to the five-and-a-half-hour standard, and Boeing's rival, Airbus, plans to seek approval for 5 hours and 50 minutes for its A350XWB, which will compete with both the 777s and the 787s.
After a tense delay at the airport getting the flight plan approved, the plane took off for Israel, stopping over in Dakar, Senegal, to refuel.
Mr. Sinnett said that about 75 percent of Boeing's test plans for the plane had been approved and that 25 percent of the testing was complete.
Senator Chambliss, whose state is home to Lockheed Martin's primary manufacturing plant for the F-22, sponsored the committee amendment adding the seven planes, which was approved by a 13-to-11 13-to-11 13-to-11
One theory goes that a request from the Indian high commission to land a private plane at Waterkloof was approved because it was thought the flight contained Indian officials on business.
The transport minister said the plane's route was approved by international aviation officials.
On Wednesday U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis signed the previously approved Boeing plane deal with Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid al-Attiyah.
The F.A.A. will now have an opportunity to update its current peculiar list of electric devices that approved on planes during take-off and landing, which includes electric razors and audio recorders, but not calculators.
Meanwhile, the plane has yet to be approved for combat missions.
The Malaysian plane was flying on an approved route — the assumption by international aviation organisations was that civilian jetliners could fly far above the danger.
Aviation officials said the plane had been traveling an approved and heavily trafficked route over eastern Ukraine, about 20 miles from the Russia border, when it vanished from radar screens with no distress signal.
