United said in a statement that “safety remains our highest priority — for our employees and our customers.” In addition to the two dozen planes it was grounding, United said it had 28 more Boeing 777s equipped with the engine model in storage. Only 174 of the 1,600 jets were equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines, the last of which was delivered to the South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines in 2013. More than 1,250 of the jets were equipped with engines made by GE Aviation, with the remaining using engines made by Rolls-Royce. order came hours after Japan’s aviation authority told All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines to stop using 777s equipped with the Pratt & Whitney engine. In the statement, the ministry said it had ordered the airlines to increase engine inspections after a “serious incident” on Dec. 4 involving a 777 with a Pratt & Whitney engine.

Source: New York Times February 21, 2021 23:39 UTC