http://news.excite.com/news/r/000222/06/airlines-lufthansa2

Lufthansa grounds Boeing 747-400s for checks Updated 6:38 AM ET February 22, 2000 FRANKFURT, Feb 22 (Reuters) - German flagship carrier Lufthansa AG on Tuesday said it had grounded all 26 of its Boeing 747-400 aircraft for technical checks after finding a fault in the fire extinguishing system of one of the planes. Lufthansa said in a statement that it had informed U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing of the fault, saying the problem was not specifically related to the German carrier. The airline said it would try to use other long-haul aircraft to service the destinations affected by the grounding, but added that delays and flight cancellations could be expected. A Lufthansa spokesperson said that only a flight to Japan from Frankfurt had been cancelled so far. Lufthansa said the faults were discovered during a routine check of one of its jets, and it was decided to ground all 747-400 aircraft in the fleet as a precaution until tests of all the planes have been completed. The airline said the jetliners would re-enter service once the faulty parts have been replaced. Lufthansa did not give an expected time frame for the work.

-- boop (leafyspurge@hotmail.com), February 22, 2000