Hainan Airlines Boeing 787-9 Returns to Rome Following Engine Malfunction

Earlier today, a Hainan Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (B-1119), built in 2018, was forced to return to Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) due to a technical issue with its right engine. The aircraft, operating as flight HU438 from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO) to Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport (SZX), experienced a series of stalls in its General Electric GEnx-1B engine shortly after takeoff.

Hainan Airlines flight HU438, from Rome (FCO) to Shenzhen (SZX) was forced to return to FCOshortly after takeoff due to right engine issues. The flight was operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Video by ?a??o©/ Aircraft engineer pic.twitter.com/4LAQFvTiD8

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The incident took place at approximately 2,000 feet during initial climb from Runway 16R. When the Hainan Airlines Boeing 787-9 engine began experiencing repeated stalls, the pilots promptly halted the climb and initiated a return to FCO. The aircraft circled in holding patterns 11 times over the next 50 minutes, burning off fuel to ensure a safe landing weight before it successfully touched down back at FCO.

This article is to be updated as the story develops

About Hainan Airlines

Hainan Airlines, headquartered in Haikou, Hainan, China, is one of the country’s largest airlines and ranks as Asia’s tenth-largest carrier by passenger numbers. Known for its extensive network and operational scale, Hainan Airlines operates both scheduled and charter services on over 500 routes, connecting Hainan and various mainland hubs with destinations worldwide.

Hainan Airlines Fleet

The fleet at Hainan Airlines comprises both Airbus and Boeing aircraft, catering to a diverse range of domestic and international routes. The airline’s fleet (as of the date of publishing) consists of:

• Airbus Aircraft:
  • A320neo: 1 aircraft & 3 on order
  • A330-200: 8 aircraft
  • A330-300: 20 aircraft
• Boeing Aircraft:
  • 737-800: 133 aircraft
  • 737 MAX 8: 16 aircraft & 34 on order
  • 787-8 Dreamliner: 10 aircraft
  • 787-9 Dreamliner: 20 aircraft
• Future Orders:
  • COMAC C919: 20 aircraft on order

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