DENVER, Aug 30 — Dozens of United Airlines Holdings Inc jets like the one that lost an engine cover over Colorado in February may not fly until early next year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the matter.

The United Airlines flight was heading to Honolulu when it suffered an engine failure. The Boeing 777-200 plane landed safely at Denver International Airport soon after take-off.

United had hoped to resume flying the wide-body jets this summer, the report added, but returning them to service has taken longer-than-expected as federal regulators consider potential new requirements for some Boeing 777 jets powered by Pratt & Whitney (PW) engines.

Regulators are considering an extra engine-blade inspection and a proposed modification aimed at preventing engine covers from ripping off should a fan blade break during flight, the report added.

Steve Dickson, head of the Federal Aviation Administration had told a US House committee in May that the agency is going to mandate strengthening a key engine part on Boeing 777-200 planes equipped with PW engines like the one involved in an emergency landing in February.

United is the only US operator of 777s with the PW4000 engine and has 52 of those planes.

The FAA, Boeing and United Airlines could not be immediately reached by Reuters for comments. — Reuters