Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific axes 22 more flights over engine problem, bringing total to 90

Company has identified 15 aircraft from 48-strong A350 fleet that had engine fuel lines requiring replacement

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A Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 parked at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 2:35pm, 4 Sep 2024Updated: 7:23pm, 4 Sep 2024

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways has axed another 22 flights over an engine component failure uncovered in its Airbus A350 fleet, bringing the number of cancellations this week to 90.

Confirming the Post’s report, the airline said 22 flights would be cancelled between Thursday and Saturday, and no further cuts were expected. The carrier earlier axed 48 flights on Tuesday and 20 on Wednesday.

The company said on Wednesday it had identified 15 aircraft out of its 48-strong A350 fleet that had engine fuel lines requiring replacement, with six of the aircraft already repaired and cleared to operate. The remaining nine would be repaired and were expected to resume operation by Saturday.

The discovery of the issue with the Trent XWB-97 engines, which are manufactured by UK-based Rolls-Royce, also triggered inspections by other airlines using the same model.

The engine is used on the relatively young Cathay A350 fleet, including 18 of the A350-1000 aircraft that are 4.6 years old on average.

The other 30 planes in the fleet are A350-900s with an average age of 6.2 years.