Cathay Pacific is facing a new trouble, this time with its Airbus A350 fleet. After one of its A350’s engine’s part failed just after takeoff from Hong Kong, it has grounded its entire A350 fleet as a precautionary measure which has led to cancellation of some flights.
Cathay Pacific A350 engine part failure: What happened?
On Monday 2nd September 2024, Cathay Pacific flight CX383 operated by an Airbus A350-1000 aircraft took off from Hong Kong (HKG) bound for Zurich (ZRH) when one of its engine’s part failed which prompted the crew to return to Hong Kong where it landed safely about 75 minutes after its departure.
After the incident, Cathay Pacific grounded its entire A350 fleet “as a precautionary measure”. The engine in question is manufactured by British company Rolls Royce. Airbus A350-1000 uses Rolls Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
While the airline has not specified exactly which component of the engine failed, it said that it was the “first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide”. According to Reuters, the problem was with a fuel nozzle inside the engine.
Cathay Pacific has a fleet of 48 A350 aircraft, out of which 18 are of the bigger -1000 variant while the remaining 30 are of the -900 variant. The A350-1000s and A350F (upcoming model) use the Trent XWB-97 engines – the biggest jet engine from Rolls Royce – while the A350-900s use the Trent XWB-84 engines.
While the airline faced problems with its A350-1000 aircraft, it is also inspecting its A350-900 aircraft “as a precautionary measure”. The airline said it had “identified a number of the same engine components that need to be replaced”.
We immediately brought this issue to the attention of the aircraft and engine manufacturers as well as our regulators. As a precautionary measure, we also proactively initiated a fleet-wide inspection of our 48 A350 aircraft. Thus far we have identified a number of the same engine components that need to be replaced, spare parts have been secured and repair work is underway.
Cathay Pacific said in a statement.
As a result, a number of aircraft will be out of service for several days until 4th September 2024 while this process is being completed and Cathay Pacific’s operating schedules will be affected.
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Which flights are affected?
Until now, Cathay Pacific has had to cancel 24 return flights operating up until the end of tomorrow (4th September 2024) and all of the affected passengers have been informed and provided with alternate travel arrangements.
Some flights to Singapore and Sydney were cancelled yesterday (2nd September 2024). Some flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka and Taipei stand cancelled today (3rd September 2024) while services cancelled for tomorrow (4th September 2024) include those to Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei and Singapore.
Are other airlines affected by this issue?
Reuters reports that Japan Airlines, which has 5 A350-1000s, has asked Rolls Royce for more information while it has not stopped A350 flights in the meantime.
If the engine manufacturer takes any further action, we will respond accordingly.
a spokesperson from Japan Airlines said.
Taiwan-based China Airlines, which operates 15 A350-900s but no A350-1000s, said it was not affected by this problem, as its fleet does not use the affected engines.
The company will continue to pay attention to the instructions of the original manufacturer and take the initiative to arrange for testing operations to ensure the safety of aircraft operations.
China Airlines said in a statement.
Airlines which operate the A350-1000 aircraft include Qatar Airways (24 aircraft), British Airways (18 aircraft), Cathay Pacific (18 aircraft), Virgin Atlantic (12 aircraft), Etihad Airways (5 aircraft) and Japan Airlines (5 aircraft).
Featured image by Planespotters.net/Joost Alexander
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