All Boeing 777 jets with the same make of engine that caught fire after take-off from Denver will be temporarily banned from entering UK airspace.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps made the announcement following reports that one of aircraft's Pratt & Whitney engine burst into flames showering debris across land.
In a tweet, Mr Shapps said: “After issues this weekend, Boeing B777s with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 series engines will be temporarily banned from entering the UK airspace. I will continue to work closely with the @UK_CAA to monitor the situation.”
None of the 231 passengers or 10 crew were hurt, and the flight landed safely, authorities said.
Boeing had already recommended that airlines ground all 777s and most carriers said they would temporarily pull them from service. The aircraft maker said there were 69 777s with the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines in service and another 59 in storage.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority said the engine was not used on models operated by UK airlines.
A statement said: “After the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engine incident on a Boeing 777 aircraft, we have suspended this configuration’s use in UK airspace. It is not used by any UK airlines. It is operated by airlines in the USA, Japan and South Korea where authorities have also stopped its use.”
United had 24 of the planes in service. It is the only US airline with the engine in its fleet, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.
Two Japanese airlines have another 32 that are being pulled while Asiana Airlines grounded nine, seven of which were in service, until Boeing establishes a plan to fix the problems. Korean Air said it was discussing whether to ground 16 aircraft, six of which are in service.
“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,” Boeing said in a statement issued on Sunday, referring to American and Japanese regulators.
The engine maker said it was sending a team to work with investigators.
The emergency landing was the latest trouble for Boeing, which saw its 737 Max planes grounded for more than a year after two deadly crashes in 2019 and is suffering amid the huge reduction in air travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Max planes began returning to the skies late last year — a huge boost for the aircraft maker, which lost billions during the grounding because it has been unable to deliver new planes to customers.
