Cathay Pacific cancels flights to inspect its Airbus A350 fleet following an engine part failure, while other airlines await guidance from Rolls-Royce.
Bollywood Fever: Hong Kong‘s Cathay Pacific Airways is conducting inspections of its entire Airbus A350 fleet after the in-flight failure of an engine component on Monday.
The airline canceled 24 return flights through Wednesday to allow time for thorough checks of its 48 Rolls-Royce-powered A350 jets.
The incident involved one of Cathay Pacific’s A350-1000 widebody planes, which experienced the issue shortly after take-off from Hong Kong.
Despite the incident, other major operators of the A350-1000 and the more widely used A350-900 appeared to be operating their aircraft as usual on Tuesday, according to data from FlightRadar24.
Japan Airlines (JAL), which operates five A350-1000s that are all less than a year old, stated that it had requested more information from Rolls-Royce but had not grounded its A350 fleet. “If the engine manufacturer takes any further action, we will respond accordingly,” a JAL spokesperson said.
As of now, Rolls-Royce has not issued a directive for airlines to inspect similar engines, according to an industry source.
The engine manufacturer acknowledged the incident in a statement and expressed its commitment to working closely with Cathay Pacific, Airbus, and the authorities investigating the failure.
Cathay Pacific has not specified which engine component failed but described the incident as the “first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide.”
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the issue involved a fuel nozzle inside a Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engine, the model used on the A350-1000.
Experts note that while such problems are rare, they typically raise fewer concerns than failures involving major rotating parts like turbine blades. However, any further inspections could potentially disrupt airline operations.
Airbus confirmed that it is in contact with Rolls-Royce and Cathay Pacific and is offering “full technical support.” Taiwan’s China Airlines, which operates 15 A350-900s but no A350-1000s, stated that its fleet is not affected by the engine type involved in the incident and that its operations would continue as normal.
The airline assured that it would monitor the situation and arrange for any necessary testing to ensure flight safety.
Although the failure occurred on one of its A350-1000 jets, Cathay Pacific is also inspecting its 30 A350-900s as a precautionary measure.
The airline reported that it had “identified a number of the same engine components that need to be replaced” but did not specify whether these were found on the A350-1000 or A350-900 models.
There are approximately 88 A350-1000 jets in operation globally, with the largest operators being Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, Etihad Airways, and JAL. Requests for comment from Qatar Airways, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, and Etihad went unanswered.
Cathay Pacific shares fell by as much as 0.9% on Tuesday. The flights canceled by the airline between Hong Kong and cities such as Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, and Singapore represent about 2.4% of its scheduled flights for the week in September, according to Cirium flight schedule data.
Following the incident, Rolls-Royce shares closed 6.5% lower on Monday.
Also Read Other Articles, Ethiopian Airlines Suspends Flights to Eritrea Amidst “Difficult Operating Conditions”
129 Killed in Congo Prison Stampede During Attempted Jailbreak
