Boeing Advises All Airlines to Halt Flights with Boeing 777 Aircraft

Boeing has issued a directive to all airlines to suspend flights of its 777 series aircraft equipped with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines following an incident involving United Airlines in the United States. The company announced this on February 21.

“Boeing is actively monitoring the recent events related to United Airlines Flight 328. As the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducts its investigation, we have recommended to halt operations of 69 flights and 59 grounded 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines until the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) decides on an appropriate inspection protocol,” reads a statement on Boeing's website.

The company has also fully endorsed the decision made by aviation authorities in Japan and the United States, which have already opted to pause flights of these aircraft.

On February 21, an engine failure occurred on a United Airlines plane flying from Denver, Colorado to Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft returned safely to the departure airport, but a large piece of the plane’s engine casing fell in close proximity to residential buildings. Following the incident, United Airlines announced that “as a precaution, it is immediately grounding 24 Boeing 777 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines,” reported TASS.