Rolls-Royce, Boeing Scramble To Replace 787 Gearboxes

Rolls-Royce (R-R) and Boeing are starting to replace gearboxes on nine Trent 1000 engines due to power undelivered 787s for All Nippon Airways after the Japanese operator was forced to ground its fleet because of a newly discovered defect. The last of the five ANA-operated 787s that were impacted by the precautionary grounding will be returned to service “in the next few days,” says a R-R spokesman. The engine manufacturer says three aircraft are now either back, or set to resume operation. Modified gearboxes are also currently being installed on the engines powering the other two aircraft, he adds ...