FAA orders checks on fuel valves in Boeing planes

(Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered checks on fuel valves on a wide range of Boeing Co aircraft to ensure they are safe and replace affected valves that could cause possible fuel tank explosions.

The order, or airworthiness directive, is effective April 5 and involves Boeing's 737, 757, 767 and 777 jets. (http://1.usa.gov/1TOK7dc)

The FAA estimated that the new directive would affect 2,140 airplanes in the United States.

An airworthiness directive is a legally enforceable regulation issued by the FAA to correct an unsafe condition in an aircraft, engine or propeller.

The new directive resulted from fuel system reviews conducted by the planemaker, the FAA said on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera, Sweta Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Sriraj Kalluvila)