JEDDAH, 25 September — Saudi Arabian Airlines said yesterday that it was inspecting its 23 Boeing planes after Boeing warned that more than 3,000 of its aircraft could be affected by potentially faulty fuel pumps that could cause a mid-air explosion.
Last month Boeing issued a worldwide alert over the defective pumps and estimated that around 116 aircraft could be affected.
But that figure has now snowballed to 3,280 after it was found that the problem also existed in older pumps.
All aircraft that carry the pumps are being inspected — a process that could take up to three years to complete. “We have informed customers and operators of this issue, which is of concern to us.
That is why we are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible,” a Boeing spokesman said, adding that no accident has so far been caused by faulty pumps.
Ahmad Abdul Qader Al-Jazzar, assistant vice president for maintenance, said Saudia completed inspection of a Boeing 747-400 plane yesterday.
He said maintenance engineers were working round the clock to make sure the fuel pumps were safe. Saudia has five Boeing 747-400s, nine 747-300s, seven 747-100s, a 747-200 cargo plane and a 747SP aircraft.
Initially, the problem was found in pumps manufactured by Californian company Hydro-Aire Inc, installed on Boeing 737s, 747s and 757s in January and April. But the problem has now been found to exist in older fuel pumps fitted as early as 1969.
