A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner of Polish flag carrier LOT Airlines registered SP-LRH was grounded at Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo due to a malfunction, the airline spokesperson Micha? Czernicki said.
Just before taking off from Colombo to Warsaw, the on-board computer notified the cabin crew about a malfunction of the aircraft’s poppet valve, which hampered its journey.
“A decision was made to check the craft,” said Mr Czernicki, adding that 232 passengers and 15 crew members of the Warsaw-bound flight number LO70 were taken into the care of a local representative of LOT and that they would be put up in a hotel.
The LOT spokesperson said that all of its aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner currently grounded in Colombo, were fitted with an extended system of sensors that constantly diagnose their operations.
“Thanks to the experience of our crews, technical and operational support, every divergence from the norms set by the aircraft producer is immediately identified and verified because safety is LOT’s top priority,” said Mr Czernicki, adding that it is possible an element of the valve would have to be replaced.
The passengers will be brought back to Poland on Sunday, LOT reported.
UPDATE: the aircraft just departed from Colombo to Warsaw.
Source: ColomboPage.com
