Cathay Pacific Grounds Airbus A350 Fleet, Cancels Multiple Flights

On September 3, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways announced the cancellation of 32 flights to and from various regional destinations. This decision came after the airline was compelled to ground its entire fleet of 48 Airbus A350s due to a malfunction in a part of the Rolls Royce engine on one of its aircraft shortly after takeoff on a flight to Zurich.

Following inspections, the airline discovered that 15 of its aircraft contained engine components that required replacement. Additionally, three had already been successfully repaired. Despite these findings, Cathay Pacific emphasized that the cancellations were necessary to ensure safety, as the remaining aircraft would remain out of service until proper repairs and safety checks were completed.

“At Cathay, the safety of our customers and our team is our top priority,” the airline stated. In a further update, Cathay Pacific revealed that it had canceled an additional 33 flights on Wednesday to and from countries including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, along with one flight on Thursday from Seoul to Hong Kong.

Passengers were informed that updates regarding further cancellations up to Saturday would be provided by 2 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Cathay Pacific anticipates that “all affected aircraft will resume operations” by September 7.

The issue was first detected during a flight en route to Switzerland when one of Cathay’s A350-1000s experienced a fault and safely returned to Hong Kong just 75 minutes after taking off. In response to this incident, the airline promptly alerted both the aircraft and engine manufacturers as well as regulatory bodies. A fleet-wide inspection was initiated immediately as a precautionary measure.

This incident marks the first known failure of this specific engine component on any A350 aircraft globally, according to the airline’s announcement. In addition to the A350-1000s, Cathay Pacific operates 30 A350-900s, all of which are powered by two Trent XWB-97 engines produced by Rolls Royce.

Rolls Royce confirmed that Hong Kong authorities have launched an investigation into the matter. The company has expressed its commitment to collaborating closely with Cathay Pacific, the aircraft manufacturer, and relevant authorities to facilitate the investigation. Rolls Royce also indicated that it would keep other airlines operating the Trent XWB-97 engines informed of any pertinent developments.

Moreover, the company highlighted that the affected parts could be replaced without needing to remove the engines from the aircraft wings. Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, stated they are working alongside Cathay Pacific and Rolls Royce to address the issue, but they could not provide further comments until the investigation concludes.

Other airlines such as British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Japan Airlines also operate the A350 aircraft. Japan Airlines, which has five A350-1000s, announced that it would conduct inspections during its next regular scheduled maintenance as a precaution and is currently awaiting guidance from Rolls Royce. They do not foresee any cancellations or disruptions resulting from these inspections.

Qatar Airways indicated that it is monitoring the situation closely; however, there has been no impact on its operation of any Airbus A350-1000s so far.

The A350 competes directly with Boeing’s 787-10 and 777 models, particularly at a time when many airlines are shifting their focus to Airbus due to ongoing safety challenges associated with Boeing’s 737-Max aircraft, which has faced several issues, including a mid-flight door plug blowout in January.