Norwegian Air International says that the discovery of a potential flaw in the engines of one the latest Boeing aircraft will not delay the launch of its planned Irish-US flights.
Boeing has temporarily suspended flights of its new 737 Max aircraft, which Norwegian plans to use on its Irish routes, after detecting a potential minor fault in the engines.
The airline said that the delay is likely to push back the delivery of the craft that it will use on the Irish routes, but added that it would not affect the launch of the services themselves.
“Norwegian has been informed of the temporary pause in the testing of the Boeing 737 Max,” a spokesman said.
"Boeing has given us a new delivery date of our first Max, which is a few days later than previous estimates. However, this will not delay the launch of our upcoming transatlantic routes from Ireland to the US."
Inspection
The US airline manufacturer said this week that a possible flaw in an engine part had come to light during an inspection at its suppliers, a joint venture between General Electric and Safran.
Boeing added that the new craft remained on schedule for delivery later this month.
Industry analysts suggested that the disruption caused is unlikely to last long and that the manufacturers would iron out the problem quickly. One described it as a bump on the road.
Norwegian Air will be one of the first carriers to fly the Boeing 737 Max craft commercially.
The craft is predicted to be one of the fastest-selling models ever launched by Boeing.
