Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said Tuesday that 15 of its Airbus SE A350 jets needed new engine parts after inspecting its entire fleet, which was grounded following a ‘first of its type’ engine component failure. 

Cathay, one of the largest operators worldwide of the A350 jet, had grounded its 48-plane fleet of the aircraft and cancelled dozens of flights after a Zurich-bound plane was forced to turn back to Hong Kong on Monday.

Shares in Airbus were down 0.3% at €136.48 each in Paris on Tuesday.

The company said it had identified ‘an engine component failure’, though it did not say which one.  

‘This component was the first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide,’ the airline said.

By Tuesday afternoon, Cathay said its engineering team had identified 15 aircraft with affected engine parts and successfully repaired three.

‘The remaining aircraft will continue to be out of service until they have been repaired and cleared for operation.’

All the affected aircraft are expected to resume operations by Saturday, Cathay said.

Cathay cancelled 24 return flights on Tuesday, including to Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, Taipei and Osaka. 

It said it will axe another 10 on Wednesday.

Shukor Yusof, an analyst with Singapore-based consultancy Endau Analytics, said the grounding will likely affect Cathay’s bottom line. 

‘Anytime aircraft are grounded on a big scale is critical as it impacts passengers and ultimately the bottom line,’ he told AFP, adding that it remains to be seen if other carriers with large A350 fleets – like Singapore Airlines or Japan Airlines – are affected.

‘There are chronic logistical problems involving supply chain and manpower arising from Covid that are now coming home to roost.’

Cathay had announced last month that it planned to buy up to 60 Airbus A330-900 jetliners, which would add to its fleet of more than 230 aircraft.

It also said it was ‘on track to reach 100%’ of its pre-pandemic passenger levels in the first quarter of next year, having earlier struggled to overcome a manpower crunch.

British engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC confirmed Tuesday that the A350 aircraft are ‘powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines’.

The company ‘is committed to working closely with the airline, aircraft manufacturer and the relevant authorities to support their efforts’, it said, adding that an ongoing investigation into the incident ‘restricts Rolls-Royce from commenting’. 

‘Rolls-Royce will also keep other airlines that operate Trent XWB-97 engines fully informed of any relevant developments as appropriate,’ it said.

Rolls-Royce shares traded down 6.5% in London on Monday, but recovered Tuesday following Cathay’s inspections, rising 2.9% to 477.90 pence in morning trade in London.

The engine manufacturer said this year that it was investing more than £1 billion to upgrade its lineup of commercial aircraft engines.

Last November, Emirates Chief Executive Tim Clark expressed concerns about the durability and longevity of A350 engines.

Rolls-Royce has defended its Trent XWB-97 engines and said it was taking steps to improve their durability.

Airbus also said it was ‘working closely with Rolls-Royce and Cathay Pacific’. 

‘At this time it would be inappropriate for us to comment further, pending the ongoing investigation,’ it told AFP. 

By Holmes Chan

source: AFP

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