Avianca said it has “taken the preventive decision to temporarily ground” its fleet of four Fokker 50 turboprops.

The Colombian airline cited “a malfunction on one of the engines of a Fokker 50 covering the Cali-Tumaco route” discovered prior to takeoff on Jan. 28. Avianca said in a statement that it has performed “all the proper inspections and [gone] through all the safety procedures,” and decided it was prudent to ground the F-50s.

“This preemptive security measure will allow Avianca and the engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney to establish the causes of the event, and implement the necessary corrective measures that will guarantee the aircraft’s operational reliability,” Avianca said.

Avianca also operates four ATR 72-600 turboprops on regional routes and has 11 more 72-600s on order. It plans to eventually replace all of its F-50s with the ATR aircraft on its regional network.

SOURCE ATW, Read more..