Chilean LAN Airlines has become the first non-US carrier to announce it will comply with the US FAA recommendation and temporarily suspend its Boeing 787 operations.
In compliance with the recommendation of the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) and in coordination with the Chilean Aeronautical Authority (DGAC), LAN announced that it will temporarily suspend the operation of its three Boeing 787 aircraft.
“Flights that were scheduled to be operated by the 787 will be temporarily replaced with other aircraft in our fleet to mitigate any potential impacts that this situation could cause to its passengers and cargo clients. The safety of the operation and its passengers is LAN’s top priority and the company regrets any inconvenience that this may cause”, LAN said in a press statement.
Although the FAA grounding of the 787 applies to US carriers (United is currently the only US Dreamliner operator) it is expected that all international operators will follow suit. The other Boeing 787 operators are Ethiopian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air India.