Join +750K new investors every month who copy stock picks from billionaire's portfoliosSign Up Free

UPDATE 1-FAA orders A380 engine inspections after Air France incident

Published 2017-10-13, 01:01 a/m
© Reuters.  UPDATE 1-FAA orders A380 engine inspections after Air France incident
AIRF
-
AIR
-
RR
-
GE
-
RTX
-
003490
-

* Inspections need to be made within weeks

* Affected engines used on 60 pct of A380s globally - analyst

* Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, and Korean Air also use the engines (Adds more details of directive, affected aircraft)

By Jamie Freed

SINGAPORE, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. aviation authorities have ordered visual inspections of fan hubs in engines used on some Airbus SE AIR.PA A380 jets after an engine came apart on an Air France AIRF.PA flight last month, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring owners and operators of Engine Alliance (EA) Model GP7200 series engines to visually inspect the engines and remove the fan hub if defects are found.

The EA engines are manufactured by a 50-50 joint venture between General Electric (NYSE:GE) Co GE.N and United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) Corp's UTX.N Pratt & Whitney unit.

The FAA directive formalises advice circulated by the engine company on Thursday. EA declined immediate comment.

GP7200 engines account for 60 percent of the global market share of engines that power Airbus A380 superjumbos currently in service, according to Corrine Png, the CEO of transport research firm Crucial Perspective.

In addition to Air France, the affected airlines include Emirates, the world's largest A380 operator, as well as Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways and Korean Air Lines Co 003490.KS .

The FAA said the directive, an interim measure, was prompted by the failure of the fan hub on the affected engine on the Air France aircraft.

"An investigation to determine the cause of the failure is on-going and we may consider additional rulemaking if final action is identified," it said in a statement.

Depending on the number of flight cycles, the inspections must be performed within the next two to eight weeks.

A380 aircraft powered by the rival Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC RR.L Trent 900 engine are not affected by the directive.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.