Airlines flying with Boeing 787 Dreamliners have been directed to switch off the plane’s electronic power every now and then because a software error could lead to a “loss of control”.

The global manufacturer found power control units in the model had the ability to completely shut down power generators if charged uninterrupted for 8 months, the American Federal Aviation Administration warned on Thursday.

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According to Boeing the glitch occurred in lab simulation and no airplane had yet experienced a problem.

A brand new Air New Zealand Boeing 787 Dreamliner sits, hopefully, with all power off. Photo: Getty

Boeing claimed powering the Dreamliner down would negate the risk that every generator could switch off simultaneously.

In response to the issue, the aircraft manufacturer is working on a software update to fix it, the New York Times reports.

Boeing supplies 787 Dreamliners to Jetstar, Qantas, Air New Zealand and Virgin.

This is the latest glitch for the 787 jet after it was revealed a battery defect caused a fire in a Japanese plane, grounding Dreamliners for more than three months in 2013.

At the time Boeing, was slammed by America’s Federal Aviation Administration for designing a battery that wasn’t actually able to protect itself from such a problem.

The January 2013 fire was soon followed by a smoking battery that forced an emergency landing by All Nippon Airways 787.

While those incidents led to the fleet being grounded all over the world, such action is not expected on this occasion.