The UK's Transport Secretary has placed a ban on Boeing 777s from entering UK airspace - specifically those with the same engine as that of the plane that caught fire over Denver.
Grant Shapps acted after Boeing advised airlines to ground all 777s with an engine like the one that blew apart on a flight from Denver to Honolulu, Hawaii, over the weekend.
In his statement, which was revealed today, Mr Shapps wrote: "After issues this weekend, Boeing B777s with Pratt & Whitney 4000-112 series engines will be temporarily banned from entering the UK airspace. I will continue to work closely with the @UK_CAA to monitor the situation."
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The incident in Denver took place on 20 February (Saturday) at around 1.08pm, when Broomfield Police began receiving reports of falling debris from a large plane possibly experiencing engine failure while flying overhead.
Footage shows the engine of the United Airlines plane on fire with parts flying off, and another video showing debris falling from the sky:
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said in a statement that the Boeing 777-200 returned to Denver International Airport after experiencing a 'right-engine failure' after take-off.
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The plane landed safely at the airport, with authorities saying nobody on board or on the ground was reported as injured.
United Airlines said in a separate statement that there were 231 passengers and 10 crew members on board. The airline added that all passengers were to be rebooked onto a new flight to Hawaii.
A statement from United Airlines, supplied to LADbible, said: "Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu experienced an engine failure shortly after departure, returned safely to Denver and was met by emergency crews as a precaution. There are no reported injuries onboard, and we will share more information as it becomes available."
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This was followed by another statement, which said: "Following an emergency landing by United flight 328, we ensured our customers were comfortable and cared for at Denver International Airport while we prepared another aircraft to get them to Honolulu.
"The majority of customers originally on UA328 are currently on their way to Honolulu on a new flight, UA3025, which is scheduled to land at 10.40pm local time. Those who did not wish to travel with us this evening were provided hotel accommodations. We will continue to work with federal agencies investigating this incident."
Featured Image Credit: Chad Schnell and Claire Armstrong via Storyful
