US FAA likely order inspection of GE engine equipped aircraft

Airline Industry Information, August 21, 2000

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to order safety inspections of about 2,500 General Electric Co. (GE) commercial aircraft engines all over the world.

The airworthiness directive is to detect potentially hazardous cracks forcing some airlines to quickly find replacements for the GE engines, which contain high-pressure compressor spools that are prone to premature cracking, undergoing inspection.

The engines affected by the new directive are used on Boeing's 747, 767, DC-10 and MD-11 models and Airbus Industrie's A300, A310 and A330 Models. The inspections could ground some aircraft temporarily as they wait for engine replacements, but a number of US carriers have said that the directive would not significantly affect their schedules.

The FAA has estimated the overall cost of the inspections at USD130m, USD18m of which is accounted for by engines on US carriers. The agency's latest directive apparently highlights the opinion of officials that GE engines pose a greater risk than previously thought.

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