Singapore Airlines follows Cathay Pacific’s lead, acts on Airbus A350 safety concerns

Japan Airlines is also conducting checks on its A350 fleet, consulting Cathay following the Hong Kong carrier’s mid-flight engine issue

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Technicians check a Singapore Airlines Airbus A350 aircraft at Changi International Airport. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:20pm, 4 Sep 2024Updated: 12:24pm, 4 Sep 2024

Some of Asia’s largest operators of the Airbus A350, including Singapore Airlines, said they would undertake checks of their fleet after Cathay Pacific Airways’s mid-flight discovery of an engine component issue in the aircraft type.

Singapore’s flag carrier said it would inspect all the engines powering its fleet of 64 A350-900 aircraft as a “precautionary measure”, stressing there was no current impact on its flights. The carrier said it was in contact with Airbus and engine-maker Rolls-Royce about the Trent XWB engine issue.

“The safety of our customers and staff is always our top priority,” Singapore Airlines said in a statement on Tuesday night.

Japan Airlines, meanwhile, has opted to check part of its A350 fleet, focused on its five A350-1000s, after consulting Cathay. The carrier found no problems in three of the five jets it has inspected so far, while the remaining two will be checked upon returning to Tokyo.

Hong Kong-based Cathay scrubbed a total of 31 flights on Wednesday, and additional cancellations are expected to be announced later for Thursday. The airline had discovered the engine fault in a Zurich-bound flight shortly after midnight on Monday, forcing the aircraft to return to its base without incident.

02:19

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific grounds A350 fleet due to engine component failure

Cathay had earlier completed inspections of its A350 engines, finding 15 aircraft requiring replacement parts, and three managing to be fixed. The carrier said on Tuesday it expects its fleet of A350s to resume flying in full by Saturday. It was reported earlier reported that the carrier was inspecting deformed and degraded fuel lines in the engines.