Cathay Pacific Inspects A350 Fleet Following Engine Part Failure

Cathay Pacific Airways is inspecting its fleet of Airbus A350 jets after an engine part failure, canceling 24 return flights. The affected engine is the Rolls-Royce model used on A350-1000. Other airlines continue regular operations while seeking more information from Rolls-Royce about potential inspections.

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways is undertaking comprehensive inspections of its Airbus A350 fleet following an in-flight failure of an engine part on Monday. Despite this, other airlines have not been advised to examine similar engines, according to the carriers.

As a result of the engine part failure on one of its A350-1000 jets shortly after take-off, Cathay Pacific has canceled 24 return flights until Wednesday to inspect its 48 Rolls-Royce-powered A350s. Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that other major operators of A350-1000 and A350-900 jets continued regular operations on Tuesday.

Japan Airlines, owning five A350-1000s less than a year old, stated it has requested further details from Rolls-Royce but has not halted A350 flights. Rolls-Royce, acknowledging the incident, asserted its commitment to collaborate with Cathay Pacific, Airbus, and authorities to investigate.

Although Cathay Pacific hasn't specified the exact failing component, it marks the first such failure for an A350 aircraft. Reuters sources identified the issue with a fuel nozzle within a Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engine. Airbus is closely coordinating with Rolls-Royce and Cathay Pacific to provide technical support.

China Airlines, unaffected because its A350-900s use different engines, emphasized the importance of ongoing monitoring and proactive testing for aircraft safety.

Cathay Pacific's precautionary inspections cover both A350-1000 and A350-900 models. The airline identified several engine components needing replacement but did not elaborate on specific models. Other major operators of the A350-1000, including Qatar Airways, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic, were not available for immediate comment.

Cathay Pacific's shares decreased by 0.9% on Tuesday, and Rolls-Royce shares dropped by 6.5% on Monday. The affected flights between Hong Kong and several cities account for 2.4% of its weekly operations in September.

(With inputs from agencies.)