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SINGAPORE: Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled ten flights from Singapore to Hong Kong that were scheduled to fly on Tuesday (Sep 3) and Wednesday amid ongoing maintenance involving its Airbus A350 fleet.
Eight flights from Hong Kong to Singapore were also scrapped across both days, along with dozens of other Asia Pacific flights, the airline said on Tuesday.
Cathay Pacific decided to inspect its entire A350 fleet after an incident involving an engine part that failed in one of its widebody planes, minutes after take-off from Hong Kong on Monday.
Maintenance activity on its A350 fleet is “progressing well”, according to the airline.
“In total, we have identified 15 aircraft with affected engine components that require replacement and three have already gone through successful repairs,” it added.
“The remaining aircraft will continue to be out of service until they have been repaired and cleared for operation.”
Cathay Pacific said that it expects that all affected aircraft will be able to resume operations by Saturday.
All travellers impacted by the flight cancellations have been informed and provided with alternative travel options.
The airline added it had waived its ticket change fees, including rebooking and rerouting charges, to make it “easier” for passengers to rearrange their travel plans.
Among the flights cancelled on Wednesday include those between Hong Kong and Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore, while one flight – Seoul to Hong Kong – has been cut on Thursday.
Cathay Pacific advised travellers to check its website for the latest flight information.
Following the engine part failure, Cathay Pacific immediately brought the issue up to its aircraft and engine manufacturers as well as its regulators.
The fleet-wide inspection was a precautionary measure that was taken immediately after the incident.
Rolls-Royce confirmed on Tuesday that it manufactures the Trent XWB-97 engines that powers the A350 planes.
While the British aerospace manufacturer said it was unable to comment on the investigation that has since been launched by Hong Kong authorities, it is “committed to working closely” with Cathay Pacific, Airbus and the relevant authorities to support their efforts.
Rolls-Royce also noted Cathay Pacific’s inspection of its A350 fleet and that the airline had found 15 aircraft with affected engine components requiring replacement and that “spare parts have been secured and the replacement can be completed whilst the engine is on-wing”.
Other airlines told Reuters they had not yet been issued instructions to examine similar engines after the engine part failure on one of Cathay Pacific’s A350-1000 widebody planes.
Data from flight tracking service FlightRadar24 showed other major operators of the A350-1000 and the smaller, more popular A350-900 appeared to be flying their aircraft normally on Tuesday.
In response to a CNA query, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it is in contact with Airbus and Rolls-Royce on the ongoing issue with the Trent XWB engines.
“As a precautionary measure, SIA is inspecting the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engines that power our Airbus A350-900 fleet,” an SIA spokesperson said.
“There is currently no impact on SIA flights operated with our Airbus A350-900 aircraft,” the spokesperson added.
Cathay Pacific has not specified which engine component failed, but the carrier told Reuters it was the “first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide”.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the incident involved a problem with a fuel nozzle, a component that directs fuel inside the engine.
Experts say such problems are rare but, barring a deeper flaw, generally raise fewer alarms than the failure of one of the major rotating parts such as a turbine blade. However, any widespread further inspections could be disruptive to airlines.
There are around 88 A350-1000 jets in operation worldwide, according to Swiss aviation intelligence provider ch-aviation.
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