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It has been well over a year since United Airlines had to ground its 52-aircraft sub-fleet of Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing 777s. This came about following a dramatic engine failure in February 2021. It has now taken a key step forward in getting these aircraft back in the skies, with their return potentially beginning within a week.

Signed, sealed, and delivered

The idea of United's Boeing 777s with Pratt & Whitney's PW4000 turbofans returning to the skies is not a new revelation in itself. Indeed, Simple Flying reported last week that the Chicago-headquartered US legacy carrier and Star Alliance founding member had earmarked May 26th this year as the date for their return to the skies.

However, at that stage, this milestone was still subject to approval from the US's Federal Aviation Administration, which was to have the final say on the matter. Speaking at the Bank of America Transportation, Airlines and Industrials Conference, United CCO Andrew Nocella confirmed that this had gone through, stating:

"Late last night, the FAA issued the final paperwork on our Pratt & Whitney-powered triple sevens, which we have 52 of, representing about 10% of our capacity. (...) They've been on the ground for well over a year, but you really can't rush safety."

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An imminent return

Having gained the FAA's approval to return the aircraft in question to service, May 26th looks like a very achievable restart date in its own right. However, as it happens, United actually has plans to get the 777s in question back in the skies even earlier if possible, albeit on a more spontaneous basis. Nocella explains:

"We've made it through the process. And we expect to start flying the aircraft again ad hoc probably within the next week, and officially in the schedule on May 26th. And then we'll be ramping up to probably about 30-35 aircraft by the time we get to July. So it's a pretty significant step-up, and a change in our capacity."

The news comes at an ideal time for United, as it is preparing for a busy summer, particularly on some of the long-haul routes that the 777s previously flew. In this regard, Nocella adds that "getting the aircraft [to the point] where you have pilots who are ready to fly and get back in the air is going to be a really good tailwind."

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Well prepared for the return

Nocella also explained that United had been carrying out the necessary training in advance of the return of the impacted aircraft. This will be a key part of ensuring that as many can return to the skies as the airline projects. He states:

"We pre-planned to fly roughly half the triple-sevens this summer. And we have the appropriate staff and pilots to do that, so we will. And we're training up on the triple-seven, so, by later this year, we can fly the full fleet."

It will be fascinating to see how exactly the return of these aircraft pans out.

What do you make of the return of United's PW4000-powered 777s? Have you ever flown on one of these aircraft? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!