Cathay Pacific has announced that it has grounded its entire A350 fleet, consisting of 48 A350-900s and A350-1000s, to inspect all of their Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines.
By: Yu Le
Published on: 3 September 2024, 1.51pm (GMT +8)
Cathay operates a total of 48 Airbus A350 aircraft. Photo: Haotian/Project AeroFlight
On 2 September 2024, Cathay Pacific flight CX383, operated by an A350-1000 and bound for Zurich Airport (ZRH/LSZH), experienced a failure of an unknown component on one of its engines shortly after takeoff from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG/VHHH). The highest recorded altitude of the flight was around 9150 feet before it circled in the air south of the airport to burn and dump fuel. It then diverted back to the airport, and at 1.40am local time, it landed safely on runway 07L back in Hong Kong.
The flight path of CX383. Photo: Flightradar24
According to the airline, this was the first incident of its kind on the global fleet of Airbus A350. However, the airline did not specifically mention the component of the engine that had failed during the flight.
As a result of the incident, Cathay Pacific has begun the inspection of all 48 of their Airbus A350s. Certain components have been identified to be replaced and the repair work is underway. The airline will ground the entire fleet of their A350 for a few days while the inspection and repair are being completed, as a precautionary measure.
Due to the grounding, 24 return flights have been cancelled. The airline has stated that it would provide more information on the cancelled flights on the morning of 2 September, and has urged passengers to check their flights on the website and to watch for further updates. Many passengers have complained about the long delays that have ensued with this cancellation. A lawmaker has also expressed his concern regarding Cathay’s maintenance and repair services and questioned why the incident had only affected Cathay Pacific, and not other airlines.
Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong aviation authorities, and Rolls-Royce have since started working closely together to investigate the incident. Rolls-Royce, the manufacturer of the sole engine option available on the A350, had its share drop 6% due to the in-flight engine failure.
Cathay Pacific operates 48 Airbus A350s, which are a mix of the A350-900 and the stretched A350-1000. These widebodies form a huge majority of Cathay’s long-haul fleet and are also planned to replace its aging A330 fleet.
This incident is Cathay’s second incident in a span of a mere few days. An A330-300, operating CX431 to Hong Kong, rejected its takeoff on runway 09 at Kaohsiung after experiencing engine fire during the takeoff roll. Flames could be seen coming out from the engines.
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