23rd November, 2013
EROMOSELE EBHOMELE
Boeing is believed to have warned airlines on a ‘risk of engine icing problems’ on its new 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner planes which have their engines made by General Electric, Reuters reported on Saturday.
The news agency said Boeing has thus urged 15 carriers to avoid flying the airplanes near high-level thunderstorms.
The warning, according to Reuters, has caused Japan Airlines to pull 787 Dreamliners from two international routes just as Lufthansa, United Airlines, and Cathay Pacific Airlines are also affected by the warning.
It said the move followed six incidents from April to November this year in which five 747-8s and one 787 powered by GE’s GEnx engines suffered temporary loss of thrust while flying at high altitude resulting from the problem of a build-up of ice crystals running through the engine as confirmed by the spokesman of GE.
“Boeing and JAL share a commitment to the safety of passengers and crews on board our airplanes. We respect JAL’s decision to suspend some 787 service on specific routes,” it quoted the Boeing spokesman, whose name was not given, as saying adding that Boeing issued the notice prohibiting the affected aircraft from flying at high attitude within 50 nautical miles of thunderstorms that may contain ice crystals.
As a result of this threat, Japan Airlines on Saturday said it was replacing Dreamliners on its Tokyo-Delhi and Tokyo-Singapore flights with other types of aircraft while also dropping a plan to use 787s for its Tokyo-Sydney route from December, Reuters said.
“The aviation industry is experiencing a growing number of ice-crystal icing encounters in recent years as the population of large commercial airliners has grown, particularly in tropical regions of the world,” the GE said.