Power outages at a United control tower in New Jersey have delayed flights for about two hours. The problem at Newark Liberty International Airport affected United flights Monday evening. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says United’s control tower at Terminal C suffered a power failure around 5 p.m. The power was restored briefly but failed again. It was restored again around 7 p.m. Flights have resumed. United Airlines says there are no residual delays.<br/>
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The growth of United's San Francisco hub, the most dramatic hub buildup of the current decade, has a corollary -- a change in the airline's strategy at Tokyo's Narita International Airport. For half a century, Narita has been the primary gateway for US passengers to Asia, who would connect to flights to destinations throughout the continent. But as the big three US airlines add non-stop service to Asia, particularly to China and partially as a result of the unique capabilities of the Boeing 787, Narita's role is changing and United is leading the change. "Narita is no longer the right way to get to Asia," said Brian Znotins, United's vice president of network. "Now, the market demands non-stops from San Francisco and the US. "As we saw the success of our China non-stops, it became clear that the fate of the Narita hub for us was a deconstruction," Znotins said.<br/>
The president of Rolls-Royce’s civil aerospace division, Eric Schulz, has met ANA executives in Japan in the wake of several incidents involving the Trent 1000 engines installed on the Japanese carrier’s Boeing 787s. Schulz’s trip to Tokyo to personally meet ANA management is an indication of how seriously the engine manufacturer is taking the problem of fatigue cracks being discovered in blades in the intermediate pressure turbine of several of ANA’s aircraft. Rolls-Royce said Schulz had updated the executives on the joint work being carried out by both companies to address the problem and get the aircraft back into service as quickly as possible. The Japanese carrier uses the 787 extensively on both its domestic and international networks. “The disruption caused to ANA and its passengers is of great concern for all of us at Rolls-Royce,” Schulz said. ”We are all working closely together to return the situation to normal as quickly as possible. The situation is being closely monitored at the highest levels within Rolls-Royce.” This disruption has been caused by the Trent 1000 IPT blades failing to meet their expected lifespan because of corrosion, apparently caused by the presence of chemical components in the atmosphere.<br/>