China Southern Airlines 787-8 Dreamliner (B-2727) has received extensive damaged to its port engine cowling when a mobile JetBridge struck the aircraft in Rome.
The aircraft in question went into service in October 2013 has been fitted with General Electric GEnx engines, known for their revolutionary design, Carbon-fibre composite fan blades and high bypass ratio it is one of the most efficient and quietest jet engines to date.
With the 787-8 going for around $239 million and the engines taking up a substantial amount of that, this repair could cost Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport a great deal of money in compensation. The JetBridge struck the aircraft at Terminal 3 Gate E33 when passengers were still on the aircraft.
China Southern had to cancel the return flight (CZ646) to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport and reschedule passengers on the next available aircraft. Investigations are underway to determine the extent of the damage, with the 787 Dreamliner’s only making up 2% of their fleet of 559 I’m sure they will be eager to get this bespoke aircraft back in the skies ASAP.
© Rome Aviation Spotters
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