On Wednesday, Cathay Pacific Airways announced that its Airbus A350 fleet would return to full operations by Saturday. This comes after the airline identified 15 aircraft that required fuel line repairs due to an in-flight engine component failure earlier this week.
The inspections and repairs of the Rolls-Royce engines powering Cathay’s 48 A350 wide-body jets led to the cancellation of 45 return flights, primarily on regional Asian routes, as stated in their latest update.
According to Cathay Pacific, six of the 15 aircraft with engine fuel line replacements have already been repaired and authorized for operation. The remaining nine are anticipated to be fixed and ready for service by Saturday.
A source familiar with the situation indicated that a leak in the fuel system likely caused a brief engine fire, which was swiftly extinguished by the crew of an A350-1000 bound for Zurich. The plane returned to Hong Kong just over an hour after takeoff.
The source further noted that there were no immediate indications that this incident would lead to significant regulatory actions impacting the A350 fleet.
In contrast, Thai Airways International reported this week that its Airbus A350 fleet continues to operate normally, with no engine issues detected.
