Singapore Airlines grounds 2 S.C.-made 787-10s

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Singapore Airlines has grounded two S.C.-made Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners because of engine issues.

The air carrier said in a statement that “premature blade deterioration was found on some engines” during recent routine inspections. The carrier removed the two 787-10 jets from service pending engine replacements.

Singapore Airlines’ 787-10 Dreamliners are equipped with Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC Trent 1000 TEN engines. Singapore Airlines said it will work with Rolls-Royce and aviation regulatory agencies on next steps. The carrier also inspected other aircraft with those engines.

“As safety is our top priority, the SIA Group, in consultation with Rolls-Royce, proactively identified other Trent 1000 TEN engines in the Group’s 787 fleet to undergo precautionary inspections," the airline said in a statement. "All of these engine inspections on SIA’s 787-10 fleet as well as on Scoot’s 787-8 and 787-9 fleet have now been completed."

Rolls Royce did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Boeing S.C. declined to comment on the situation.

The 787-10 jets, made from parts from suppliers around the world, are assembled exclusively at Boeing’s Dreamliner campus in North Charleston.

The 787-10s entered service in March 2018 with Singapore Airlines as the launch customer. Airline officials took delivery of the first dash-10 in North Charleston surrounded by a cheering crowd, marking a significant milestone for the Lowcountry aerospace campus.

The 787-10s are the only Dreamliner built solely in North Charleston. The 787-8s and 787-9s are built by both North Charleston and Everett, Wash., workers.

The first dash-10 rolled out of final assembly in February 2017 with President Donald Trump in attendance. The 787-10s are the third and largest derivative of the Dreamliner family, coming it at 224 feet long — an 18-foot stretch of the 787-9 — and capable of traveling 6,430 nautical miles.

The airline’s decision on Tuesday to ground those jets has caused some flight disruptions, but the airline said it will use other aircraft to avoid other service disruptions.

The grounding of the two 787-10s follows an international grounding of Boeing’s Washington-built 737 Max jet after two fatal crashes occurred within five months. The Lion Air crash in Indonesia killed 189 people in October. The Ethiopian Airlines crash in Ethiopia killed 157 people last month. Those investigations are still ongoing.