Rajesh Kumar Singh & David Shepardson

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -United Airlines said on Tuesday the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has cleared its Boeing (NYSE:) 777 planes equipped with Pratt & Whitney (PW) 4000 engines to return to service, while the wide-body jets are expected to begin flying next week.

Andrew Nocella (United’s chief commercial officer) said Monday that the FAA gave the last paperwork to the planes.

Separately, the FAA confirmed it has approved the service bulletins that will allow the Boeing 777-200 with Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines to return to service.

After a United flight from Honolulu suffered an engine failure, the planes were forced to land in Denver. The emergency landing was made in Denver on February 20, 2021. The plane returned safely to the airport with no injuries.

Nocella said that they expect to begin flying the aircraft in ad hoc “within the next week”, at a Bank of America (NYSE) conference.

United Airlines is the sole US operator of the PW4000-powered 777-series planes. It currently has 52. They will begin operating the aircraft on May 26, according to plans.

They account for 10% the capacity of Chicago-based Airline. It was delayed in returning to service, which had adversely affected the airline’s capacity expansion plans. The carrier announced flight reductions earlier this month.

Sources told Reuters that United previously informed lawmakers that a prolonged delay in the 777’s arrival could have a significant impact on 1 million passengers in this summer.

After three fan blade problems in flight that were reported, the FAA issued new safety instructions. These directives required additional inspections and modification.

The planes represent the most economical aircraft in the company, so it is essential that the entire fleet be available for flying and back up to alleviate cost pressures.

United intends to first deploy the aircraft domestically before flying it internationally in June.