News
China considers checking Rolls-Royce engines on A350s, Singapore Airlines starts “precautionary” inspections
September 5th 2024
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is deciding if Mainland A350 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce engines should be inspected, news platform Yicai has been told. Read More » The ruling is being considered after Cathay Pacific Airways inspected its fleet of 48 A350-900s and -1000s. The Hong Kong airline’s decision was made on September 2 after identification of an “engine component failure” on a Rolls-Royce engine powering a Cathay Pacific A350 flight to Zurich. The effected aircraft returned to its home hub 75 minutes after take-off. Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Sichuan Airlines operate a combined fleet of 78 A350 jets. Separately, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is inspecting its 64 A350-900s as “a precautionary measure”, the airline said, and added the procedures will not disrupt flight schedules. Japan Airlines (JAL), after consultations with Cathay Pacific, inspected its five A350-1000s, a procedure completed on September 4. Several other airlines operating aircraft equipped with the Rolls-Royce engine in question will monitor the developments and await guidance. Earlier this week, Reuters reported the September 2 Cathay Pacific incident was a leak in a system designed to inject fuel into the engine. It is a pipe that feeds fuel from an entry point or manifold to a nozzle that sprays fuel into the combustion chamber, the hot inner core of the engine. Replacement of the faulty part can be done on wing, making the repair time relatively swift. In its latest update, Cathay Pacific said it had cancelled 90 flights since the engine component failure was identified, but did not expect to cancel more flights.
