By Lisa Barrington
(Reuters) -Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways (OTC:) mentioned on Tuesday it had inspected its total Airbus A350 fleet after the in-flight failure of a part in an engine that’s made by British producer Rolls-Royce (OTC:).
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FLIGHT?
An issue unfolded a number of minutes after take-off on flight CX383 from Hong Kong to Zurich on Monday, in keeping with flight monitoring service FlightRadar24.
A supply accustomed to the matter mentioned a leak in a gas system appeared to have precipitated a short engine hearth that was rapidly extinguished by the crew of the Zurich-bound jet.
The five-year-old A350-1000 aircraft carried out two extensive circles and dumped gas over the ocean earlier than returning to Hong Kong the place it landed safely about 75 minutes after its departure.
Cathay Pacific mentioned it recognized an engine part failure after the plane returned to Hong Kong.
WHY DID THE A350 ENGINE FAIL?
Cathay Pacific has not specified which engine part failed, however the provider mentioned it was the “first of its kind to undergo such failure on any A350 plane worldwide”.
The supply mentioned the incident concerned a leak in a system designed to inject gas to the XWB-97 engine, the Rolls-Royce mannequin used on the A350-1000.
The system includes a pipe that feeds gas from an entry level or manifold to a nozzle that sprays gas into the combustion chamber, the recent interior core of the engine.
Sources mentioned partially scorched components had been being analysed at Rolls-Royce services on behalf of Hong Kong investigators, however that no leaks had been discovered thus far in different engines.
HOW MANY TYPES OF A350S ARE THERE?
The Airbus A350 is a twin-aisle long-haul plane that may carry between 300 and 480 passengers. It is available in two sizes: the A350-900 and the bigger A350-1000, each powered completely by Rolls-Royce engines.
WHAT ENGINE DOES THE A350 USE?
The A350-1000 and the A350 freighter use Trent XWB-97 engines, Rolls-Royce’s largest civil jet engine.
The extra in style A350-900 makes use of its Trent XWB-84 engines.
ARE ALL A350 ENGINES AFFECTED?
Cathay Pacific mentioned the incident occurred on considered one of its 18 A350-1000 planes. It has since recognized 15 plane with engine elements that require alternative and three have already gone by repairs.
Rolls-Royce on Tuesday famous the alternative might happen whereas the engine remained on-wing. It additionally mentioned it was dedicated to working intently with Cathay Pacific, Airbus and authorities conducting an investigation of the incident.
There have been no fast indicators the incident would set off important regulatory motion involving all A350s, in keeping with the supply accustomed to the matter.
HOW MANY A350 AIRCRAFT COULD BE IMPACTED?
There are 88 A350-1000 jets in operation worldwide, in keeping with Swiss aviation intelligence supplier ch-aviation.
The highest six operators are Qatar Airways with 24 planes, British Airways with 18, Cathay Pacific with 18, Virgin Atlantic with 12 and Etihad Airways and Japan Airways (JAL) with 5 every.
There are 520 A350-900s in operation worldwide, ch-aviation knowledge confirmed.
Dealer Jefferies mentioned in a notice to shoppers on Monday that 234 XWB-97 engines had been delivered to clients by the top of June.
WHICH CATHAY PACIFIC FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED?
Cathay Pacific mentioned on Tuesday it had cancelled at the very least 34 round-trip flights between Hong Kong and Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore till the top of Wednesday. Lengthy-haul companies shouldn’t be affected, it mentioned.
The airline’s A350s additionally serve locations in Europe and North America.
WHAT ARE OTHER AIRLINES WITH A350S DOING?
Tokyo-based JAL, which has 5 A350-1000s which can be all lower than a yr previous, mentioned it has performed its personal engine inspections. By Tuesday, three had been inspected and located to be secure, the provider mentioned, with the 2 others as a result of be checked on Wednesday once they returned to Haneda Airport.
Singapore Airways (OTC:) mentioned it was inspecting the engines on its A350-900 plane as a precaution however there can be no influence on flights. It doesn’t have any A350-1000s.
Taiwan’s China Airways, which additionally operates 15 A350-900s however no A350-1000s, mentioned its fleet didn’t use the affected engines, so its operations wouldn’t be impacted.
Qatar Airways mentioned the difficulty had no influence on its A350-1000s and it continues to observe any developments.
