Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL) has announced the withdrawal of its fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft (12 in number) that are powered by Pratt & Whitney engines. This happened a year earlier than the previously set date, and the decision was made after the incident involving a Boeing 777 United Airlines.
JAL has announced that it will use Airbus A350 aircraft for flights to Osaka, and other wide-body aircraft in the fleet will operate more domestic and international flights to maintain flight frequencies and cover the deficit left behind by the withdrawal of Boeing aircraft. 777.
Even JAL had an incident recorded with a Boeing 777 aircraft equipped with PW4000 engines. It happened in December, the JAL 777 plane being forced to return to Naha Airport due to a malfunction.
The PW4000 engines are found on a small number of Boeing 777 aircraft, which are in the fleets of JAL, United Airlines, ANA, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Jin Air.
The US Federal Aviation Administration recommended in February that all PW4000 engines, which are equipped with Boeing 777 aircraft, be checked before operating other flights. According to the NTSB (National Transport Safety Council), a fan blade failed earlier than the manufacturer's estimates.