United Airlines has switched off Primex Aerospace's EmPower in-seat laptop power supply system on its international fleet of Boeing 777s and will rewire the installations from November after the discovery of a wiring anomaly on the type.
Meanwhile, American Airlines has completed checks of the EmPower unit across its 700-plus fleet following the discovery of chafed wiring on an Airbus A300.
United has installed the EmPower outlets, which provide 15v of power for laptops, in the first and business class cabins of 85 Boeing 767-300s, 777s and 747-400s flying international routes, and 44 757s, 767s, 777s and Airbus A320s operating North American sectors. Following the installation of the latest 777, the original engineering design was found to place the EmPower wiring too close to other aircraft wiring, says Mary Rogozinski, onboard systems manager. United has checked the entire fleet and found the problem is only on the longer-range 777s. The system has only been switched off on these 777s, which will be rewired from November through to next January, when the aircraft can be taken out of service for maintenance, says Rogozinski.
United had not had any problems with the in-seat power systems. It is rewiring the aircraft to ensure the system installation on the 777s is consistent with the Boeing design, says Rogozinski.
In the American Airlines incident, an Airbus A300 flying between London and Boston was forced to land at Shannon, Ireland, following an electrical smell in the passenger cabin. On inspection, the wiring for the in-seat power supply system was found to have chafed against the seat. The airline has checked the 700-plus aircraft with the system and no other problems were found. American says it is considering putting shielding around the wiring to protect it.
Source: Flight International
