United will still fly the Boeing 777-200 after a scary engine failure in Colorado – but the ones still flying have a different engine

United will still fly the Boeing 777-200 after a scary engine failure in Colorado – but the ones still flying have a different engine

The Federal Aviation Administration has effectively grounded United Airlines' fleet of 24 Boeing 777-200 aircraft powered by the Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 engine that failed on Saturday during a flight from Denver to Honolulu. 

An airline spokesperson told Insider that the extent of the grounding remains to be seen as the agency has not yet issued an airworthiness directive, or AD, outlining the inspections that the airline needs to perform before the engine can return to the skies. 

Flyers that still see "Boeing 777-200" for their United flights in the next few days, however, need not be concerned as their flight will be operated by a different type of 777 aircraft, one powered by General Electric engines. This grounding only affects the 777s powered by Pratt & Whitney engines and not the entire 777 fleet, which experts say has a track record of safety.

United has 22 General Electric-powered 777-200s currently flying that will serve destinations like Tokyo, Japan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Milan, Italy; and Kahului, Hawaii, among others. The Pratt & Whitney engines were initially purchased by United to power its Boeing 777s but the airline acquired General Electric-powered 777s after a merger with Continental Airlines.

It's common that airlines acquire new