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What is the issue with Cathay Pacific's A350 Rolls-Royce engines?

Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways said on Tuesday it had actually examined its whole Jet A350 fleet after the inflight failure of a component in an engine that is made by British maker RollsRoyce .

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE FLIGHT?

An issue unfolded a number of minutes after liftoff on flight CX383 from Hong Kong to Zurich on Monday, according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24. A source knowledgeable about the matter said a leakage in a fuel system appeared to have caused a short engine fire that was quickly snuffed out by the team of the Zurich-bound jet.

The five-year-old A350-1000 aircraft performed two wide circles and discarded fuel over the sea before returning to Hong Kong where it landed safely about 75 minutes after its departure.

Cathay Pacific stated it recognized an engine component failure after the airplane returned to Hong Kong.

WHY DID THE A350 ENGINE FAIL?

Cathay Pacific has actually not specified which engine element stopped working, but the carrier said it was the very first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 airplane worldwide.

The source said the occurrence involved a leak in a system designed to inject fuel to the XWB-97 engine, the Rolls-Royce model used on the A350-1000.

The system makes up a pipe that feeds fuel from an entry point or manifold to a nozzle that sprays sustain into the combustion chamber, the hot inner core of the engine.

Sources stated partly sweltered parts were being analysed at Rolls-Royce centers on behalf of Hong Kong private investigators, however that no leakages had been discovered so far in other engines.

THE NUMBER OF TYPES OF A350S EXIST?

The Plane A350 is a twin-aisle long-haul airplane that can carry between 300 and 480 passengers. It can be found in 2 sizes: the A350-900 and the larger A350-1000, both powered specifically by Rolls-Royce engines.

WHAT ENGINE DOES THE A350 USE?

The A350-1000 and the A350 truck usage Trent XWB-97 engines, Rolls-Royce's largest civil jet engine.

The more popular A350-900 uses its Trent XWB-84 engines.

ARE ALL A350 ENGINES AFFECTED?

Cathay Pacific stated the incident took place on among its 18 A350-1000 airplanes. It has since determined 15 aircraft with engine parts that need replacement and three have currently gone through repair work.

Rolls-Royce on Tuesday kept in mind the replacement could take location while the engine stayed on-wing. It also said it was devoted to working closely with Cathay Pacific, Airbus and authorities conducting an investigation of the occurrence.

There were no instant indications the event would trigger significant regulatory action involving all A350s, according to the source knowledgeable about the matter.

THE NUMBER OF A350 AIRCRAFT COULD BE IMPACTED?

There are 88 A350-1000 jets in operation worldwide, according to Swiss air travel intelligence service provider ch-aviation.

The top 6 operators are Qatar Airways with 24 airplanes, British Airways with 18, Cathay Pacific with 18, Virgin Atlantic with 12 and Etihad Airways and Japan Airlines (JAL). with 5 each.

There are 520 A350-900s in operation worldwide, ch-aviation. data revealed.

Broker Jefferies stated in a note to clients on Monday that. 234 XWB-97 engines had been delivered to consumers by the end of. June.

WHICH CATHAY PACIFIC FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED?

Cathay Pacific stated on Tuesday it had cancelled at least 34. round-trip flights in between Hong Kong and Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo,. Taipei, Bangkok and Singapore until the end of Wednesday. Long-haul services need to not be impacted, it stated.

The airline company's A350s likewise serve destinations in Europe and. The United States and Canada.

WHAT ARE OTHER AIRLINE COMPANIES WITH A350S DOING? Tokyo-based JAL, which has 5 A350-1000s that are all less. than a years of age, said it has actually performed its own engine. assessments. By Tuesday, 3 had actually been checked and found to. be safe, the provider said, with the 2 others due to be inspected. on Wednesday when they returned to Haneda Airport.

Singapore Airlines stated it was examining the engines on. its A350-900 airplane as a safety measure but there would be no. effect on flights. It does not have any A350-1000s. Taiwan's China Airlines, which also operates 15. A350-900s but no A350-1000s, stated its fleet did not use the. impacted engines, so its operations would not be affected.

Qatar Airways said the concern had no influence on its A350-1000s. and it continues to keep track of any developments.

(source: Reuters)