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British Airways has scrapped more long-haul flights after a shortage of engine parts has grounded planes.
Thousands of passengers’ travel plans will be affected after the carrier was forced to cancel a string of flights on Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.
The carrier has halted the launch of services to Malaysia, halved the number of flights to Qatar and suspended routes between Gatwick and New York JFK amid a shortage of replacement engine parts.
BA said it was forced into the measures because of wear and tear to the Trent 1000 engines that power its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets.
Supply chain issues have left engine manufacturers Rolls-Royce unable to supply enough spare parts to keep the planes running.
At least five BA 787s are said to be grounded, the equivalent of 15 per cent of the airline’s fleet.
The cancellations come following disruption last month hitting the 787 schedule as well as air-traffic control delays disrupting flights.
The airline has admitted it does not believe the issue will be resolved quickly, but said most customers will be offered a same-day flight with BA or a partner airline.
A BA spokesperson said: “We’re disappointed that we’ve had to make further changes to our schedule as we continue to experience delays to the delivery of engines and parts from Rolls-Royce – particularly in relation to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines fitted to our 787 aircraft.
“We’ve taken this action because we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly, and we want to offer our customers the certainty they deserve for their travel plans. We’ve apologised to those affected and are able to offer the vast majority a flight the same day with British Airways or one of our partner airlines.
“We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution.”
A Rolls-Royce spokesperson added: “We continue to work with British Airways and all of our customers to minimise the impact of the limited availability of spares due to the current supply chain constraints. Unfortunately, this is an issue affecting the whole aerospace industry.”
