Airbus is taking a turn on the negative-publicity rollercoaster. Cathay Pacific, the flagship carrier for Hong Kong, announced it has grounded its fleet of Airbus A350-1000s for inspection after finding faulty engine components in 15 of 18 aircraft. According to a report today (Sept. 3) in online outlet Channel News Asia, Cathay Pacific Flight CX383 took off from Hong Kong for Zurich, Switzerland, yesterday, but turned back after the failure of an unspecified component of one of its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. The twin-aisle Airbus landed safely 75 minutes after takeoff, following two holding circuits to burn fuel.
Reuters reported that a person familiar with the incident said the discrepancy involved a fuel nozzle. It is not clear whether the engine lost power. Cathay Pacific said in a statement that the flight was the “first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide.”
The long-range A350 series, all powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines, can carry between 300 and 480 passengers. The smaller A350-900 is powered by the TXWB-84 version of the Trent series. Cathay Pacific’s A350 fleet includes 18 A350-1000s. It is not clear whether the -84 engine is also affected by the inspection.
