Rolls-Royce engine issue forces Cathay Pacific to ground some aircraft

A Rolls-Royce engine issue has recently compelled Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier to cancel 24 return flights and temporarily ground its A350 aircraft fleet as it conducts safety inspections. The problem came to light on Monday, when a flight to Zurich had to turn back because of an engine component failing. 

On Tuesday, the airline cancelled eight flights from Hong Kong to Singapore. Flights to other key Asian destinations such as Taipei, Bangkok. Osaka and Tokyo were also cancelled. Only one Boeing 777-300 flight from Hong Kong to Singapore was allowed to fly on Tuesday. 

The news led to Rolls-Royce losing about £2.7bn (€3.21bn) of stock market value on Monday, with shares plunging 6.14% and trading at €5.53 on Tuesday morning. 

Cathay Pacific has revealed that it is currently inspecting 48 aircraft as a precautionary measure. This is mainly due to the problem being largely unprecedented on any A350 jet worldwide. At present, Rolls-Royce’s XWB-97 engine is used in the A350-1000 jets, which first recorded the engine issue. 

However, the airline has not revealed any other details as of yet, regarding which engine component specifically has failed. Cathay Pacific is one of the biggest users of A350s, and has 18 A350-1000 aircraft in its fleet. 

In an update on its website, the airline said: “Cathay Pacific advises that the maintenance activity on our A350 fleet is progressing well. Our engineering team has thoroughly inspected our fleet of operational A350 aircraft within 24 hours. In total, we have identified 15 aircraft with affected engine components that require replacement and three have already gone through successful repairs.

“The remaining aircraft will continue to be out of service until they have been repaired and cleared for operation. We expect that all affected aircraft will resume operations by Saturday (7 September). 

“For today (3 September), there will be no further cancellations beyond those already announced. All impacted customers have been informed and provided with alternative travel options.” 

The company also revealed that they were liaising with the engine and aircraft producers, as well as with the Hong Kong civil aviation department in order to fix the issue. 

Other airlines will be ‘fully informed’ of any engine issues, says Rolls-Royce

In a statement issued on its website on Tuesday, Rolls-Royce said, regarding the Cathay Pacific engine issue: “Rolls-Royce notes the airline’s statements that it has launched a precautionary inspection of its fleet; and also that, to the extent that any components need replacing, spare parts have been secured and the replacement can be completed, whilst the engine is on-wing. 

“As well as providing support and guidance to Cathay Pacific, Rolls-Royce will also keep other airlines that operate Trent XWB-97 engines fully informed of any relevant developments as appropriate.”

The airline industry has seen some turbulence this year already, following a Boeing 737-Max jet, operated by Alaska Airlines, facing a mid-air door panel blowout earlier in January. This led to Boeing facing a number of investigations, including by the US Federal Aviation Administration, the US Department of Justice, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). 

Boeing also faced widespread criticism from a number of airlines such as Ryanair, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, amongst others, for these issues, and delayed deliveries.