Hong Kong’s flagship airline Cathay Pacific has cancelled dozens of flights after a plane flying from the city to Zurich was forced to turn back due to “an engine failure”.
The company said it was now inspecting all 48 of its Airbus A350 planes “as a precautionary measure” and had discovered a faulty part in some engines that needed to be replaced.
Rolls-Royce told the BBC that the aircraft is powered by Trent XWB-97 engines.
Since Monday, Cathay Pacific has canceled two dozen return flights, including routes connecting Hong Kong with Sydney, Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka and Taipei.
The airline said it expected the disruption to continue at least until Wednesday.
Cathay Pacific said the engine part that forced the plane to return to Hong Kong was “the first part of its type to experience such a failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide”.
“To date, we have identified a number of engine parts that need to be replaced, replacement parts have been found and repair work is underway,” the airline said in a statement.
“As a result, some aircraft will have to be grounded for several days while this process is completed and Cathay Pacific’s operating schedule will be affected.”
The airline expects inspections of its A350 fleet to be completed by the end of Tuesday.
Cathay Pacific took delivery of the Airbus A350 in 2016, powered by fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines.
Rolls-Royce told BBC News: “We are committed to working closely with the airline, the aircraft manufacturer and relevant authorities to support the investigation into this incident.”
Shares of the UK-based engineering giant fell more than 6% in London trading on Monday.
Earlier this year, Rolls-Royce announced plans to invest in improving its engine range, including the Trent XWB-97.
In 2023, Tim Clark, boss of Gulf airline Emirates, voiced concerns about Rolls-Royce’s engine durability and maintenance costs.
