Korean Air, Asiana will land Boeing 777 after engine incident

South Korea’s two largest airlines – Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. – said on Monday they would suspend all Boeing 777 passenger jets after a recent engine accident in the United States.

A B777-200 plane suffered an engine failure after taking off to Honolulu on Saturday (local time), with a bonnet and other parts of the plane scattered on the ground in Denver, according to foreign media reports.

The United Airlines, Inc. flight landed safely without any injuries to the plane or the ground.

Boeing Co. recommended to its customers 777 jets coupled to the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine.

Korean Air currently operates six of the 16 B777 jets with the same engine on routes to Japan and Southeast Asia, and Asiana operates seven of the nine B777s on short- and medium-haul routes to meet the demand for business travel.

“We are in consultation with Boeing and the Ministry of Transport about suspending the planes. There is no recommendation from the authorities to stop the operation of the planes,” said a Korean Air spokesman.

Jin Air Co., Korean Air’s low-cost airline, operates four B777 aircraft on domestic routes. The carrier said it is awaiting recommendation from the ministry.

Local airlines have suspended most of their flights on international routes since the beginning of last year, as countries tightened entry restrictions to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has initiated an investigation into the accident. The NTSB will focus on what caused the engine failure, the reports said. (Yonhap)