LONDON, Sept 5 — At least part of Airbus’s A350 fleet will be inspected as a precautionary measure, Europe’s aviation safety regulator said today, after an engine part failed during the flight of a Cathay Pacific A350-1000 passenger plane.
Barring fresh evidence as investigators examine the fuel system of a jet forced to return to Hong Kong on Monday, manufacturers had been leaning against recommending worldwide checks, sources told Reuters yesterday.
“We will require a one-time fleet inspection, which may be applicable only to a portion of the A350 fleet, in order to identify and remove from service any potentially compromised high pressure fuel hoses,” the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in a statement.
EASA will release an airworthiness directive with details of the inspection later today, it added.
“We acknowledge the information provided by EASA and are working closely with (engine maker) Rolls-Royce and the authorities on the implementation of this precautionary measure,” Airbus said.
Rolls-Royce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Airbus and Rolls-Royce briefed airlines on the fallout from the issue earlier today, sources familiar with the matter said.
The A350-1000, the larger of two models in the Airbus A350 family, and its Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines have been under the spotlight since a Zurich-bound jet was forced to return to Hong Kong after an engine problem, later traced to a fuel leak.
Initial investigations have revealed that a flexible pipe feeding a fuel injection nozzle in the XWB-97 engine was pierced, the sources said.
— Bernama
