Thai Air adds to criticism of Rolls-Royce over engine delays

Thai Airways International said its Rolls-Royce Holdings engines are spending more time than ever undergoing maintenance checks, adding to a chorus of criticism over the power units. CEO Chai Eamsiri said the engines powering its Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner aircraft are spending as long as 120 days undergoing checks, significantly longer than the 90-day wait when the British manufacturer previously encountered similar delays. “We send it for a shop visit and it doesn’t come back,” he said at an annual meeting of Asian airlines in Brunei on Tuesday. “It used to be 90 days. Now it’s longer, toward 120 days.” Rolls-Royce blamed industry-wide supply chain constraints for the delays. The company is working to prioritize resources needed to reduce the impact on airlines, a spokesperson said. Thai Airways’ comments on the increased wait times shed more light on the growing discontent among Rolls-Royce customers. British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. have suspended several routes over the past month due to a shortage of aircraft caused by the backlog.<br/>