Cathay Pacific has temporarily grounded its fleet of Airbus A350 airliners as a precautionary measure after discovering a failed engine component after a Zurich-bound flight returned to Hong Kong shortly after take-off yesterday.
The airline says the failure is the “first of its kind” and has notified Rolls-Royce, which makes the Trent XWB engines, and Airbus about the issue before deciding to check all of its A350s.
In a statement, the airline said: “This component was the first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide,” the airline said. “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.”
Cathay Pacific says it is working with the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Authority to clear aircraft back to flying status, after repairs if necessary, adding “Aircraft cleared for operation will return to service, while those identified with technical issues will undergo further repair and maintenance work,”
The Airbus A350 forms the backbone of Cathay Pacific’s long-haul fleet together with the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330. The airline has 30 A350-900s and 18 A350-1000s with 6 A350Fs on order.