Boeing 777s are BANNED from flying over Britain: Grant Shapps says ALL planes with same engine as one that caught fire over Denver cannot enter UK airspace
- Transport Secretary follows other nations banning aircraft after engine blaze
- Boeing 777-200, with 231 passengers, had emergency above Denver Airport
- Debris struck plane's right engine just after take off, causing it to erupt in flame
- Boeing says all 128 aircraft equipped with PW4000 engines are now grounded
All Boeing 777s with the same engine as the passenger plane which caught fire after take-off scattering engine debris over a US city will be temporarily banned from entering UK airspace, it was revealed today.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has acted after Boeing recommended that airlines ground all 777s with the type of engine that blew apart after take-off from Denver International Airport on Saturday.
Mr Shapps tweeted: 'After issues this weekend, Boeing B777s with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 series engines will be temporarily banned from entering the UK airspace. I will continue to work closely with the UK CAA to monitor the situation'.
Most carriers with the planes in their fleets said they would temporarily pull them from service.
According aviation experts Cirium, 12 operators have 777s with PW4000 engines: AAR Corp, AerCap, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Boeing Capital Corp, Egyptair, Japan Airlines, Jet Midwest, Jin Air, Korean Air, Ukraine International Airlines and United Airlines.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority said the engine was not used on models operated by UK airlines.
A statement said: 'After the Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engine incident on a Boeing 777 aircraft, we have suspended this configuration's use in UK airspace. It is not used by any UK airlines. It is operated by airlines in the USA, Japan and South Korea where authorities have also stopped its use.'
Planes with the same engines as a flight which suffered a terrifying mid-air explosion were yesterday banned from UK airspace.Pictures taken from the ground show the jet's engine on fire and trailing smoke on Saturday
Video recorded by passengers aboard Flight UA328, which was carrying 231 travelers and 10 crew members, shows the engine on fire
Police posted photos on Twitter showing large, circular pieces of debris leaning against a house in the suburb about 25 miles north of Denver
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered United Airlines to step up inspections of the aircraft after one of its flights made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport on Saturday as pieces of the casing of the engine, a Pratt & Whitney PW4000, rained down on suburban neighbourhoods.
None of the 231 passengers or 10 crew were hurt, and the flight landed safely, authorities said. United is among the carriers that has grounded the planes.
Shares in Raytheon, the parent company of Pratt & Whitney, had suffered a 2.77 per cent drop when markets opened this morning n a blow to one of the main players in the aircraft engine market and a boost to its competitors including Britain's Rolls-Royce and Boston-based General Electric.
The near-disaster in Colorado has led to the grounding of more than a hundred Boeing 777s fitted with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, used by United Airlines as well as Japan's two main carriers and a South Korean firm.
Boeing said today that all 128 of the planes have been grounded, saying it had recommended suspending operations of 69 in-service and 59 in-storage aircraft while US authorities investigate what happened in Denver.
The United Airlines Flight 328 had been heading to Hawaii when an engine burst into flames shortly after leaving Denver airport on Saturday afternoon.
Remarkably, none of the 231 passengers or ten crew, or anyone on the ground, suffered any injuries in the incident.
Flames could be seen coming from the engine of the plane after it exploded at 15,000ft. Miraculously, nobody was injured
Terrified United Airlines passengers clapped in relief as their flight touched down safely in Denver on Saturday after suffering catastrophic engine failure
Pieces of the aircraft landed on a football field as seen in the above image posted to Twitter by a local resident in Broomfield
Yesterday Boeing said 128 jets with the same type of Pratt & Whitney engines should be grounded until inspections can be carried out.
A spokesman said: 'While [an] investigation is ongoing, we recommended suspending operations of the 69 in-service and 59 in-storage 777 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 engines.'
A Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said no airlines operating in the UK will be affected because most use Rolls Royce or engines from other makers.
It came as police recordings were released revealing how close the debris - which scattered across Broomfield, a suburb north of the Colorado city - came to hitting people.
One woman who called 911 said: 'A piece of it just landed in front of me.
'It almost landed on my head.' United Airlines said it had grounded its fleet of 777s with the engines.
It is understood to mostly affect carriers operating in America and the far east.
Japanese regulators also suspended the use of some 777s with the same engines.
Pratt & Whitney, owned by Raytheon Technologies Corp,said it was coordinating with operators and regulators.
Most watched News videos
- Screaming Boeing 737 passengers scramble to escape from burning jet
- Benjamin Netanyahu sends message of support to singer Eden Golan
- Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gather ahead of Eurovision semis
- Moment alleged drunken duo are escorted from easyJet flight
- View from behind St Paul's cordon as Prince Harry arrives
- Nigeria Defence holds press conference for Harry & Megan visit
- Prince William smiles and waves in Cornwall at Fistral Beach
- Moment Russian TV broadcast hacked during Putin's Victory Day parade
- Prince Harry reads out a bible passage at Invictus Games service
- Prince Harry teases fan for having two cameras as he leaves St Pauls
- Russia launches blizzard of missiles and kamikaze drones on Ukraine
- Prince William says Kate is 'doing well' after her cancer diagnosis