PIA won’t ground its 12 Boeing 777

RAWALPINDI: Following Boeing company’s recommendation to suspend the use of 777 planes with Pratt & Whitney engines, the Pakistan Inter­national Airlines said it has 12 Boeing 777 planes in its fleet with General Electric engines which are considered to be the safest.

PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said on Mon­day that the General Electric engines are considered to be the safest and nearly 1,000 such engines are being used worldwide.

He said PIA has 29 aircraft in its fleet, including 12 Boeing 777, 11 Airbus A320 and six ATR planes.

The move came after the right engine of a Boeing 777 failed mid-air and caught fire. The plane landed safely at Denver International Airport on Saturday.

Boeing said: “We are actively monitoring recent events related to United Airlines flight UA328. While the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation is ongoing, we recommended suspending operations of the 69 in-service and 59 in-storage 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines until the FAA identifies the appropriate inspection protocol.”

It further added: “We support the decision yesterday by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, and the FAA’s action today to suspend operations of 777 aircraft powered by Pratty & Whitney 4000-112 engines. We are working with these regulators as they take actions while these planes are on the ground and further inspections are conducted by Pratt & Whitney.”

In a tweet, the United Airlines said: “Flight UA328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure shortly after departure, returned safely to Denver and was met by emergency crews as a precaution.”