Over the weekend, one of the engines of a United Airlines flight from Denver, Colorado, caught fire and fell apart while in transit, subsequently leaving a trail of debris in an area neighborhood before pilots were able to safely land the plane. The incident has prompted a recommendation by Boeing, the plane’s manufacturer, to ground its 777 jets.
Egyptair, a state-owned airline based in Cairo, Egypt, announced Monday that it be grounding four of its Boeing 777s in light of recommendations made by both Boeing and the US’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
However, Egyptair further noted it would continue to fly six of its Boeing 777-300 planes since they are not equipped with the troubled Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines that officials are inspecting.
Although United Airlines is the only carrier to fly the Boeing 777 jet within the US, the specified plane makes up part of the fleets kept by Egyptair, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines, according to Jon Ostrower, the editor-in-chief of The Air Current.
Boeing has indicated that a total of 69 of the aircraft are in use, and that another 59 such planes are currently in storage. The company has stressed that its call for temporarily suspending the aircraft will remain in effect until the FAA has identified an “appropriate inspection protocol” for the plane.
United Airlines grounded its 24 Boeing 777s a few hours after Boeing made its announcement. Regulators in Japan have also ordered airlines to stop flying the specified aircraft until further notice, with similar steps being taken by Korean Air Lines.
The incident did not prompt any reports of injuries, and the flight was able to safely return to Denver International Airport.
The latest setback may sow further doubt around the safety of Boeing aircraft, as the company attempts to regain public confidence following the two fatal back-to-back crashes involving its 737 Max jets.
Although the jetliner was grounded worldwide for nearly two years, it has since been cleared to take to the skies once necessary modifications are made. The jetliner completed its first US commercial flight in December. Boeing is still facing multiple lawsuits by the families of passengers who died in the pair of crashes.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
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