KLM Cargo has denied that the grounding of seven 787s has impacted its cargo operations .
The Dutch carrier discovered during maintenance that Boeing procedures had not been fully followed and, as a result, decided to ground seven of its 20 operational 787s for “additional maintenance”.
KLM said: “The seven Boeing 787 aircraft will gradually return to KLM’s flight schedule in the coming weeks, following completion of the extra maintenance. The first aircraft have already entered this additional maintenance process.”
A spokesman for KLM Cargo said: “I can confirm it has no impact for our cargo business.”
But KLM confirmed to SimpleFlying over the weekend that it had had to cancel three intercontinental services, to Mexico City, Chicago, and Portland.
The issue will refocus attention on Boeing aircraft.
KLM explained: “The issue concerns maintenance on a component related to the aircraft’s refuelling system. Although this part is identical to one used on the Boeing 777 – where the procedure was correctly applied – the 787 requires a different instruction. KLM has therefore decided to carry out the maintenance on the affected 787s as soon as possible, following the proper procedure.”
Meanwhile, CH Aviation reports that the US DoT has permitted Air France to wet-lease aircraft to KLM on Schiphol-JFK between 1July and 31 October, but it is unclear whether the request is related to the 787 groundings.