▲ On the 20th (local time), debris from United Airlines flight 328 fell in front of a house in Broomfield, Colorado, USA. Broomefield/EPA Yonhap News
Korean Air has decided to voluntarily suspend operations of 16 aircraft equipped with engines of the same family as the Boeing 777, which lost debris due to an engine failure in flight in Denver, USA.
According to the aviation industry on the 23rd, Korean Air decided to stop operating 16 Boeing 777s equipped with the same’PW4000′ series engine as the accident aircraft.
Ten of the 16 vehicles were already in suspension due to the aftermath of the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19), and the remaining six have also completed suspension measures.
A Korean Air official said, “We plan to stop the operation of aircraft equipped with PW4000 series engines and carry out engine inspections until additional instructions from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport are issued.”
The aircraft has been used on long- and short-haul routes for international and domestic flights.
On the previous day, Asiana Airlines also stopped operating nine Boeing 777s equipped with PW4000 engines. Two of the suspended aircraft were also included.
Among the low-cost carriers (LCC), Jin Air is operating four Boeing 777-200ER airliners equipped with a PW4000 series engine. Jin Air is said to have no scheduled Boeing 777 flight schedule until the weekend.
On the 20th (local time), a United Airlines Boeing 777-200 airliner heading for Honolulu, Hawaii from Denver, USA, caused an engine failure shortly after take-off and returned to Denver International Airport. In the course of the turnaround, gas debris fell to residential areas near the airport.
According to foreign media such as CNN, Boeing advised airlines to stop operating the Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with the engine on the 22nd. United Airlines voluntarily suspended 24 flights on the 21st, prior to Boeing’s announcement.
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also ordered the suspension of operation of the Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with the same engine as the passenger plane in the accident on the 21st. Japan’s two major airlines, JAL and All Nippon Airways (ANA), have 13 and 19 aircraft, respectively.