Korean Air, Asiana to ground Boeing 777 after engine incident

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

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

The flight of United Airlines, Inc. has reportedly landed safely without any injury on the plane or on the ground.

Boeing Co. advised his customers to put 777 jets on the ground, paired with the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine.

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

“We are in talks with Boeing and the Department of Transportation regarding the suspension of the planes. There is no recommendation from the authorities to stop the operation of the planes,” said a Korean Air spokeswoman.

Jin Air Co., Korean Air’s budget carrier unit, operates four B777 aircraft on domestic routes. The carrier said it is awaiting a recommendation from the ministry.

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

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) began an investigation into the accident. The NTSB will focus on the cause of the engine failure, the reports said. (Yonhap)