Other Airlines Await A350 Engine Issue Update

The Airbus A350 has been among the headlines recently following Cathay Pacific’s forced inspection of its entire fleet of widebody aircraft.

These inspections followed a report of an engine issue during what was meant to be a routine flight between Hong Kong and Zurich.

After the entire series was grounded temporarily and inspected, Cathay Pacific confirmed that it would work to replace the faulty part across 15 aircraft.

Following this replacement, Cathay aims to return all aircraft to service in a few days, and operations will return to normal by next week.

However, while Cathay Pacific has been front and centre following this development, other airlines have also expressed concerns, hoping this isn’t a widespread issue.

The Rolls Royce XWB engine is hugely popular across the global fleet of Airbus A350s, and the fact that 15 units were affected by a problem seemingly not uncovered before this incident has sparked concerns.

Rolls-Royce has repeatedly stated that it is committed to ensuring that all engines are in the highest working order, and now briefs are expected across the Airbus A350 fleet.

While Reuters reports that Airbus hasn’t been mandating checks on the Airbus A350 engines following the Cathay incident, some airlines have been inspecting their engines simply as a precautionary measure.

However, as this remains an ongoing investigation following the incident, there is still a lack of clarity around the circumstances and whether this is widespread.

As a result, the precautionary checks, while not required, are being applauded. However, as further details are yet to emerge, great unknowns surround the situation.