Four Cathay Pacific 777-300 planes would be back in the air this week, after the maker Boeing solved a problem with their engines, the airline said yesterday.
Cathay's 10 Boeing 777-300s were pulled out of service after one of the planes flying from Bangkok to Mumbai was forced to turn around on December 1, when an inner engine casing tore loose and hit a car in the Thai capital. Six are already back in service after inspection.
'A solution has been devised by aircraft maker Boeing to prevent heat stress and the failure of engine ducts on its B777-300 aircraft,' said Cathay Pacific Airway's engineering director Derek Cridland.
He said the modification and revised inspection procedures were now in place across the fleet.
'After testing and checks, we are 100 per cent satisfied with the results. [The four aircraft] will resume flying,' a Cathay spokeswoman said yesterday.
In a letter to the Sunday Morning Post, Mr Cridland said Cathay 'has never, and will not compromise its aircraft maintenance standards and passenger safety'.
The Washington-based Boeing general manager for the 747, 767 and 777 programmes, John Quinlivan, said the modifications would ensure that a similar event 'will not occur again'.
