A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787 has been grounded at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. The Dreamliner had been reported to be suffering from a malfunction, stopping it from taking off yesterday.

What is the issue?

According to Aviation24, registration SP-LRG was just about to take off from Colombo before receiving a malfunction notification. The computer notified staff about a malfunction of the aircraft's poppet valve. Therefore, flight LO70 has been delayed on its departure to Warsaw.

LOT shared that the notification prompted staff to swiftly check out the situation. The airline recently had an extended sensor system placed into all of its Dreamliners. This system constantly diagnoses its operations, creating important signals. While checks were being made, all 232 passengers and 15 crew members were put up in a hotel by a local representative.

LOT Polish Airlines 787
All of LOT's 787s have been fitted with technology to help identify issues. Photo: LOT Polish Airlines

Swift response

LOT's spokesperson Michał Czernick praised the carrier's staff members for their handling of the situation.

“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,” Czernicki said, as reported by Aviation24.

The spokesperson further added that the valve would have to be replaced on the aircraft.

Last month, it was reported that Boeing 787 issues had forced LOT to delay the start of its operations between Warsaw and Beijing Daxing by three months. These flights were due to commence on October 28, 2019, but have now been pushed back to January 15, 2020. This is due to problems with the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 engine on the firm's Dreamliners.

LOT Polish Airlines 787
The new regulations asked controllers to work as single-person operations in some control centers. Photo: LOT Polish Airlines

New route

This LOT service between the capitals of Poland and Sri Lanka is brand new. Aviation24 reports that a regular, seasonal operation only began three weeks ago. The flight lasts around 9 hours and travels 7,283 km.

Additionally, it is available to fly on until March 28. There are three flights a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The airline hopes that this operation will boost tourist traffic to Sri Lanka from Poland and surrounding countries.

Last month, LOT also announced another new route from Warsaw to San Francisco. This service will start from August 2020 and will fly from Warsaw Chopin Airport four times a week. It will also be operated with a 787 Dreamliner.

The airline is looking to take advantage of the United States' policy shift when it comes to Poland. The European country is now included in its visa waiver program, making it easier for Polish citizens to travel to the country.

The delayed passengers on flight LO70 are expected to arrive in Warsaw at 23:32, according to FlightRadar24. Simple Flying reached out to LOT Polish Airlines but did not hear back before publication. We will update the article with any further announcements.

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