Malaysia Airlines Finds Potential A350 Engine Issue

After Cathay Pacific grounded Airbus A350s and investigations commenced, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) requested inspections of in-service A350 units.

Much of the preventive checks follow a confirmed engine fire shortly after an A350 commenced what was meant to be a routine flight from Hong Kong to Zurich.

However, the aircraft was forced to return to Hong Kong, and subsequently, Cathay Pacific began inspecting all its A350s. Later, it was confirmed that almost 20 units had engines that needed repairing.

Now, Malaysia Airlines has confirmed in a statement that it also found potential issues with the engines of its Airbus A350-900.

In the statement, the airline said the finding was swiftly resolved, and the aircraft has since been cleared to re-enter service. This aligns with the airline’s commitment to the highest safety standards.

The problem involved a potential issue with the high-pressure fuel hose on just one aircraft. Fleet data indicates that Malaysia Airlines only has seven Airbus A350-900s to its name, six of which are in service and one parked.

Therefore, the findings will not impact the airline’s ability to offer long-haul flights, for which the A350 has been explicitly drafted. The European Safety Agency’s response to this matter after the working week was not to extend inspection calls.

The inspection calls follow the initial focus on the XWB-97, not the XWB-84 engines, which, while sharing similarities, are different.

Interestingly, however, Airbus confirmed that checks on the XWB-84 are not warranted at this stage given their key differences and based on the information provided compared to the XWB-97, which had previously been the focal point.

However, such a finding comes days after the airline confirmed it would reduce its flying schedule for the remainder of 2024 due to complexities with other existing aircraft.