Boeing's Dreamliner has successfully completed a test flight, bringing the airliner another step closer to getting back in the skies.

The aircraft took off near Seattle on Friday to prove that a new system to stop the plane's lithium-ion batteries overheating or catching fire is working.

When it touched down nearly two hours later Boeing said the flight had been uneventful and straightforward.

Now regulators in the U.S., Japan and Europe have to decide if they're satisfied Boeing's solution is safe.

Industry officials and airlines which operate the Dreamliner have said they expect it back in the air by May at the latest.