To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with United Kingdom airlines operating Boeing 777 aircraft about passenger safety, in particular the accident investigator's conclusion that there is a high probability of further accidents caused by icing on aircraft's fuel-oil heat exchanger (FOHE). [HL2223]

The Air Accident Investigation Branch, which is investigating the accident at Heathrow in January 2008, has not concluded that there is a high probability of further accidents caused by fuel icing on the B777. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has also investigated an incident of engine power loss on the B777 which did not result in an accident. NTSB technical reports about this incident did not in fact conclude that there was a high probability of further incidents of power loss cause by fuel icing, although this was suggested in its press statements.

Since the accident at Heathrow in January 2008 Boeing has developed a range of changes to operating procedures to ensure that aircraft crews can minimise and manage any risk associated with potential ice accumulation in the fuel system. These procedures have been approved by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) and have been made mandatory for all US and European airlines. Both EASA and the US FAA are content that, subject to the application of these procedures, B777 aircraft with Rolls-Royce Trent engines are safe to remain in service. The new procedures were shown to be effective in the incident investigated by the NTSB referred to above when thrust control was successfully recovered following an uncommanded power reduction in a single engine on a Delta Airlines Boeing 777 on 26 November 2008.