Rolls-Royce should explain what went wrong with its A350 aircraft engine component that forced Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways to cancel flights and advise other airlines whether they need to inspect their fleets, experts have said.
Their calls came as a well-informed source told the Post deformed fuel lines used to transfer fuel to Cathay Pacific’s Airbus A350 fleet were the reason behind the failure of an engine part.
Inspections found 15 of 48 of the airline’s fleet of A350s had engine issues, forcing the carrier to cancel 68 flights this week.
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Warren Chim Wing-nin, the deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ aircraft division, said fuel pipes in general were not part of an airline’s maintenance programme that needed to be inspected.
“The small fuel manifolds surrounding the engine’s nozzles are not movable and not in contact with other objects,” he said. “It needs the engine manufacturer to explain why the fuel lines were deformed and whether it has something to do with design, manufacturing or other unexpected issues.”
Cathay announced on Monday it had grounded its fleet of A350 aircraft after discovering the “first-of-its-kind problem” with the engine part. Engineers identified the failure after Zurich-bound flight CX383 returned to Hong Kong following take off early on Monday morning.
But Chim said that without knowing the initial engine warning in the cockpit, he could not assess the actual risks posed by the deformed fuel pipes.
Whether a global call for other airlines to conduct thorough checks of the engine and replace the faulty components was needed depended on an assessment by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, he said.
A spokeswoman for the EU agency said it had been informed of an incident affecting a Cathay A350 aircraft and the agency was in contact with Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
“We will be monitoring any information coming out of the technical investigation and will take decisions on any fleet-level action as required,” she said.
Rolls-Royce said on Tuesday that the investigation in Hong Kong restricted it from commenting on the matter but it was “committed to working closely with the airline, aircraft manufacturer and the relevant authorities to support their efforts”.
“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,” it said.
Airbus said it was working closely with Rolls-Royce and Cathay, adding: “At this time it would be inappropriate for us to comment further, pending further investigation.”
Lo Kok-keung, a veteran engineer retired from Polytechnic University, said all airlines operating the A350 aircraft should immediately conduct checks, especially the fuel nozzle and pipes.
“Checking these two parts does not take a long time,” Lo said. “Safety matters. If there are problems with the pipes, the fuel will not be able to be transferred from the tank to the engine and also, if heat becomes trapped in the pipes, it could even lead to an engine fire.”
He added airlines should be able to detect whether there were blockages in the fuel pipes and nozzles that could affect the flow of fuel to the engines during routine inspections.
The Trent XWB-97 engines used in the Airbus A350-1000 jets are made by Rolls-Royce.
“These two companies should do something to restore the confidence of the public about the engine design while providing guidance to airlines on maintenance and repair,” Lo added.
Air France on Tuesday said Airbus and Rolls-Royce had not advised or mandated airlines to perform any checks at this stage, while Singapore Airlines said it was inspecting the engines that powered its A350-900 fleet as a precautionary measure, adding there had not been any impact on flights.
Singapore Airlines operates the largest fleet of A350 aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region, with 64 such planes.
A mainland Chinese media outlet reported on Tuesday that the Civil Aviation Administration of China had initiated an investigation into whether A350 aircraft operating in the country required inspection, citing the management of several domestic airlines.
According to the report, the mainland’s fleet of A350s numbered 78 and they were operated by four airlines. Although all of them were equipped with Rolls-Royce engines, the specific model varied depending on the airline.
Airbus had 1,327 orders for the A350 aircraft by the end of July, of which 612 had been fulfilled.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Deformed fuel lines behind A350 engine problems at Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific
- What’s next for Cathay after engine fault grounds Hong Kong carrier’s Airbus A350 fleet?
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