BA to put fire-hit Boeing plane back into service after Las Vegas airport blaze
A London-bound British Airways plane that was engulfed in smoke and flames after catching fire at a Las Vegas airport will surprisingly fly again "as brand new", the airline has said.
Some 157 passengers, 10 crew and three pilots were forced to escape the Boeing 777-200 on emergency slides amid plumes of smoke in September last year, with 27 people taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The flight's veteran pilot Chris Henkey, from Reading, Berkshire, was hailed a hero for saving the lives of passengers after slamming on his brakes when he became aware fire had broken out.
Photographs have emerged showing the jet undergoing repairs on the tarmac at an airport close to the Las Vegas strip.
A spokesperson for BA said the engine which caught fire - a General Electric GE90-85B - has been removed by the manufacturer and will be replaced.
The plane will be put back into service once "stringent checks have been completed".
The airline said it was still to be decided when the plane will resume flying.
Captain Henkey had 42 years of flying experience with BA and was on his penultimate flight before leaving the profession.
He later said the aborted journey on September 8 would be his final flight.