LONDON—Faulty Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc engine blades are deteriorating faster than expected, prompting additional groundings of Boeing Co.’s 787 jetliners for early repairs. Rolls-Royce has struggled with design faults in the Trent 1000 turbofan engine, which have already prompted the company to record £1.3 billion pounds ($2.18 billion) in charges. Rolls-Royce uncovered the part’s shorter lifespan in December, when Air New Zealand Dreamliners suffered in-flight turbine damage on successive days. The intermediate pressure turbine blades — which had already been flagged for replacement — aren’t lasting long enough to meet the previously set maintenance schedule. “Safety remains our top priority as we continue to work through the replacement of intermediate pressure turbine blades on Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Package C engines,” Boeing said in a statement.

Source: thestar September 29, 2018 00:08 UTC