British Airways has been forced to cancel some long-haul flights as the UK carrier suffers from issues afflicting its Boeing Co. 787 aircraft that are having knock-on effects on other parts of its fleet.
Customers whose flights were canceled were notified by the IAG SA-owned carrier that it had to temporarily ground some 787 aircraft amid unspecified engine issues, according to a email notification seen by Bloomberg. British Airways did not respond to requests for comment.
The carrier said it's been using Boeing 777 planes that it has on standby to avoid cancellations, but the heavier use of those older jets means they require routine maintenance and sufficient downtime.
The airline's existing fleet of 787 aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc's Trent 1000 engines. The UK manufacturer said it continues to "work with British Airways and all of our customers to minimize the impact of the limited availability of spares due to the current supply chain constraints," according to a statement.
Rolls-Royce said the issue goes beyond British Airways, highlighting how a persistent shortage of components continues to affect the aviation industry. British Airways recently switched over to General Electric to power its new set of 787 aircraft, dealing a blow to Rolls-Royce, which has seen its share on that model dwindle.
The Trent 1000 was previously plagued by technical issues, causing disruption for carriers using that model. Rolls-Royce has since sought to improve the reliability of the powerplant, alongside other engines such as the Trent XWB used on the Airbus SE A350 model.
British Airways is in the middle of a fleet upgrade cycle, though like many airlines around the world the company has been hit by delivery delays. The 777X, the next-generation of the popular 777 aircraft, for example, is already about five years behind schedule, forcing carriers to to use their existing aircraft for longer or outright cancel some routes.
