Cathay Pacific Airways announced that 15 Airbus A350 aircraft needed component replacements after a Rolls-Royce engine problem was discovered shortly after takeoff from Hong Kong on Monday.
The airline then canceled 34 round-trip flights scheduled through Wednesday as it worked to resolve the issue.
The incident involved one of the airline’s Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, which are used on the A350-1000 model. Following an in-flight component failure, the aircraft safely returned to Hong Kong after dumping fuel into the sea. This incident prompted Cathay Pacific to inspect its entire fleet of 48 Rolls-Royce-powered A350s, revealing that 15 of them required replacement parts. Three of the affected planes have already been repaired, and the airline expects the rest to be operational by Saturday.
Rolls-Royce confirmed that the Trent XWB-97 engine was involved and stated that it is cooperating with Cathay Pacific, Airbus, and Hong Kong authorities to investigate the incident. The company also emphasized its commitment to keeping other airlines that use the same engine model updated on any relevant developments.
The engine problem is thought to be related to a fuel nozzle inside the XWB-97 engine, which is a component that directs fuel within the engine. This is significant because it is the first time such a failure has occurred in an A350 aircraft worldwide.
The incident had an immediate impact on Rolls-Royce’s share price, which fell 6.5% on Monday, becoming the biggest faller on the FTSE 100 index. However, shares recovered slightly on Tuesday, rising 4.5%.
The ongoing inspections and repairs will not affect Cathay Pacific’s long-haul flights, according to the airline. The airline will provide more information on potential flight disruptions later this week.
Other airlines that use the A350-1000, including Qatar Airways, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Etihad Airways, and Japan Airlines, have not reported similar issues. Japan Airlines, whose fleet of A350-1000s is less than a year old, has requested additional information from Rolls-Royce and is closely monitoring the situation.
Airbus, the A350’s manufacturer, is also involved in the investigation and is providing technical support to Cathay Pacific and Rolls-Royce.
This incident follows previous issues with Rolls-Royce engines, which are similar to problems encountered by Boeing with its 777X aircraft.
With input from Reuters, the Guardian, CNBC and CNN.
