Boeing has dispatched a prominent executive to help Rolls-Royce work through escalating engine problems that have grounded dozens of 787 Dreamliners.
Keith Leverkuhn is serving as Boeing’s eyes and ears at Rolls factories in Singapore and Derby, England, where the Trent 1000 engine is manufactured and being repaired. Mr Leverkuhn, an engineer with expertise in propulsion, is best-known for steering Boeing’s 737 Max through development to its commercial debut a year ago, months ahead of schedule.
Mr Leverkuhn’s special assignment to Rolls signals the importance Boeing is placing on containing the disruption to its marquee jetliner -- and placating airline customers as the crucial summer travel season approaches. About 34 Dreamliners are parked and awaiting repaired engines, and the number is at risk of rising in the coming months, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the details are private.
“We’re managing our assets both on the production line and in field support to try and minimize impact to our global airline customers,” Boeing chief executive officer Dennis Muilenburg said on the sidelines of the manufacturer’s April 30 annual meeting. “This is very important to us. While the new engines going into the production system are not affected, engines in the installed fleet around the world -- they need our attention.”
It’s not unusual for aerospace manufacturers to deploy teams of engineers or mechanics to help struggling suppliers to troubleshoot problems. Less common is Boeing Commercial Airplanes head Kevin McAllister’s decision to divert a vice president like Mr Leverkuhn, 57, from an assignment to shepherd the upgraded version of the 737, the company’s biggest source of profit.
“We said we would work as closely as possible with Boeing and our airline customers, and this is a great example of that partnership working,” London-based Rolls said in an email.
Durability problems on engines that power about a quarter of the global 787 fleet first emerged in 2016, and intensified in December when Air New Zealand Dreamliners suffered in-flight turbine damage on successive days. The problems center on potential cracking of the Trent’s intermediate pressure compressor blades, and it could take Rolls four years to retrofit the 383 affected engines with redesigned components.
The number of parked planes mushroomed after US regulators in April ordered stepped-up inspections of the engine variant, known as the Trent 1000 Package C.
Dreamliner operators that rely on the power plant for so-called ETOPS routes, typically over ocean routes with few diversionary airports, are now required to check for signs of cracking or unusual wear after every 80 flights. That means taking the planes out of service on a near-monthly basis -- far more onerous than the previous standard required by regulators of checks every 200 flights.
About 30 per cent of inspected engines have been removed from the wing for repairs, the people familiar with the matter said. The failure rate could worsen as Dreamliners that have been re-routed to non-ETOPS flights come in for inspection.
“Now, if the blade fails the inspection, then the engines come off wing, go into the shop,” Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap Holdings, the world’s largest aircraft lessor, told investors earlier this month. “The problem at the moment is that there are not enough spare engines.”
That shortage is “what is driving most of the airplanes that are on the ground at the moment. A number of them are our airplanes,” Mr Kelly added.
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The bottlenecks are compounded by Rolls’s business model, which emphasises handling engine maintenance in-house or through a limited number of vendors -- unlike the global repair networks favored by competitors such as General Electric.
“It’s going to stress what is already a very stressed aftermarket supply chain,” said Ken Herbert, an analyst with Canaccord Genuity.
For Boeing, the main risk is damaging a reputation for efficiency that the 787 has garnered since its initial stumbles that delayed the plane’s 2011 debut by three years, Mr Herbert said in an interview. So far, the planemaker seems confident that Rolls’s engine woes won’t disrupt Boeing’s plans to speed output of the wide-body to a record 14-jet monthly pace in mid-2019, he said.
About 70 per cent of Dreamliners due to be delivered through early 2019 will sport a GE engine that’s not affected by the cracking issues, easing the pressure on Rolls, said Uresh Sheth, a blogger whose posts on Dreamliner production are closely followed by Wall Street.
While Trent-powered 787s are rolling off Boeing’s final assembly lines without engines -- but with weights dangling off their engine pylons to ensure balance -- there’s been little disruption to production, Mr Sheth said. Seven “gliders” are parked outside its factories, he said in an interview, using the industry nickname for assembled aircraft awaiting engines.
“Safety remains our top priority as we work through ongoing inspections with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Package C engines,” Paul Bergman, a Boeing spokesman, said in an email. “Teams are engaged with Rolls-Royce, and deployed worldwide with customers to mitigate service disruption.”
Latam Airlines Group has been working with Boeing and Rolls as it rushes to limit the damage since seven of its 24 Dreamliners are out of service. The Santiago, Chile-based carrier had ordered the carbon-fiber aircraft to serve as its workhorses on long-range flights, particularly across the Pacific to Australia and New Zealand.
Facing “significant delays in processing times,” Latam has taken several steps to maintain its flight schedule, including leasing five aircraft and reassigning jetliners in its existing fleet to new routes, a spokesman for the company said.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
AT%20A%20GLANCE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWindfall%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAn%20%E2%80%9Cenergy%20profits%20levy%E2%80%9D%20to%20raise%20around%20%C2%A35bn%20in%20a%20year.%20The%20temporary%20one-off%20tax%20will%20hit%20oil%20and%20gas%20firms%20by%2025%20per%20cent%20on%20extraordinary%20profits.%20An%2080%20per%20cent%20investment%20allowance%20should%20calm%20Conservative%20nerves%20that%20the%20move%20will%20dent%20North%20Sea%20firms%E2%80%99%20investment%20to%20save%20them%2091p%20for%20every%20%C2%A31%20they%20spend.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EA%20universal%20grant%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EEnergy%20bills%20discount%2C%20which%20was%20effectively%20a%20%C2%A3200%20loan%2C%20has%20doubled%20to%20a%20%C2%A3400%20discount%20on%20bills%20for%20all%20households%20from%20October%20that%20will%20not%20need%20to%20be%20paid%20back.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETargeted%20measures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMore%20than%20eight%20million%20of%20the%20lowest%20income%20households%20will%20receive%20a%20%C2%A3650%20one-off%20payment.%20It%20will%20apply%20to%20households%20on%20Universal%20Credit%2C%20Tax%20Credits%2C%20Pension%20Credit%20and%20legacy%20benefits.%0D%3Cbr%3ESeparate%20one-off%20payments%20of%20%C2%A3300%20will%20go%20to%20pensioners%20and%20%C2%A3150%20for%20those%20receiving%20disability%20benefits.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E%0DMain%20Event%0D%3A%20Lightweight%20Title%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAmru%20Magomedov%20def%20Jakhongir%20Jumaev%20-%20Round%201%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-Main%20Event%0D%3A%20Bantamweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERany%20Saadeh%20def%20Genil%20Franciso%20-%20Round%202%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECatchweight%20150%20lbs%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EWalter%20Cogliandro%20def%20Ali%20Al%20Qaisi%20-%20Round%201%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBantamweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERenat%20Khavalov%20def%20Hikaru%20Yoshino%20-%20Round%202%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFlyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EVictor%20Nunes%20def%20Nawras%20Abzakh%20-%20Round%201%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFlyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EYamato%20Fujita%20def%20Sanzhar%20Adilov%20-%20Round%201%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EAbdullo%20Khodzhaev%20def%20Petru%20Buzdugen%20-%20Round%201%20(TKO)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECatchweight%20139%20lbs%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERazhabali%20Shaydullaev%20def%20Magomed%20Al-Abdullah%20-%20Round%202%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFlyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ECong%20Wang%20def%20Amena%20Hadaya%20-%20Points%20(unanimous%20decision)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMiddleweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EKhabib%20Nabiev%20def%20Adis%20Taalaybek%20Uulu%20-%20Round%202%20(submission)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELight%20Heavyweight%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBartosz%20Szewczyk%20def%20Artem%20Zemlyakov%20-%20Round%202%20(TKO)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
Star rating: 2.5/5
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil