The National Transportation Safety Board said on Friday the February 2021 engine failure on a United Airlines Boeing 777 in Colorado was due to a crack in a fan blade and cited inadequate inspections as a contributing cause. Soon after the failure, the FAA ordered immediate inspections of 777 aircraft with Pratt & Whitney 4000 engines before further flights, which led to the planes' grounding for more than a year. The Boeing 777-200 bound for Honolulu after takeoff from Denver showered debris over nearby cities, but no one was injured and the plane safely returned to the airport. The NTSB cited "the inadequate inspection of the blades, which failed to identify low-level indications of cracking, and the insufficient frequency of the manufacturer’s inspection intervals, which permitted the low-level crack indications to propagate undetected and ultimately resulted in the fatigue failure." Pratt & Whitney, a unit of RTX, did not immediately comment. United said on Friday it "closely collaborated with the NTSB, FAA, Boeing and Pratt and Whitney on each step of the investigation and are pleased to have these aircraft back in our fleet." In March 2022, the FAA finalized new safety directives after three reported in-flight fan blade failures including the Colorado incident that prompted enhanced inspections and modifications. The FAA said on Friday it had issued the safety directives in response to the fan blade incidents.<br/>
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An Air China flight was evacuated on landing in Singapore after one of the engines on the Airbus SE A320neo aircraft caught fire. All 146 passengers and nine crew members were safely evacuated after landing at about 4:15 p.m. local time, and the fire in the left engine was extinguished 10 minutes later, according to a statement by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Nine passengers sustained minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and abrasions during evacuation, it said. Videos widely circulated on social media showed flames visible in the rear of the left engine as passengers exited the plane on to the runway via escape chutes. Thick smoke filled the cabin, the videos show. Air China flight 403 reported smoke in the forward cargo hold and lavatory, declared emergency and requested priority landing, the aviation authority said. The aircraft, which traveled from Chengdu in western China, was powered by RTX Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney engines. The plane is four years old, according to FlightRadar24 data. Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau is investigating the incident and has contacted its Chinese counterpart, which will assist with the investigation, the aviation authority said. Changi Airport’s Runway 3 was closed for three hours, it said.<br/>
New direct air routes linking east China's Hangzhou with Dubai of the United Arab Emirates and Almaty of Kazakhstan, have been launched on Sunday. The Hangzhou to Dubai route is operated by Air China, utilizing Airbus A330-300 aircraft for three weekly flights. Departures from Hangzhou are scheduled for Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with arrivals in Dubai the following day. Return flights depart from Dubai on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, reaching Hangzhou on the same day. The Hangzhou to Almaty route is managed by Loong Airlines, deploying Airbus A321 aircraft for three weekly flights. Outbound flights from Hangzhou operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, arriving in Almaty on the same day. Return flights from Almaty are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, landing in Hangzhou on the same day. So far, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport has expanded its international and regional destinations to 28, connecting with 20 countries and regions. Among them, 23 destinations are in Asia, providing convenient travel connections for passengers and personnel associated with the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games. <br/>
Air New Zealand has been forced to temporarily pause its widebody services to and from Samoa due to ground service equipment being deemed “unfit for service”. The airline says it was made aware on Friday night the equipment required to load and unload passenger bags and cargo on to the widebody aircraft was not up to standard. Air New Zealand Head of Pacific Islands, Brent Roxburgh said over the last 12 months the airline has worked extensively with its ground handler partner in Samoa to ensure it’s up to their safety standards. “As the safety of our people is our top priority, the airline made the call to pause widebody services until the equipment has been fixed,” said Roxburgh. As a result, Air NZ had to cancel two widebody services in and out of Apia on Saturday 9 September and Monday 11 September, he said. As a result, Air NZ had to cancel two widebody services in and out of Apia on Saturday 9 September and Monday 11 September, he said. However, capacity is limited and not all passengers are able to be rebooked onto this flight. “Due to high demand passengers may be required to fly a few days either side of their original travel, however, we are doing everything we can to limit this impact. Our team on the ground in Auckland and Apia are assisting customers with accommodation if they require it.<br/>