European aviation safety regulator orders Airbus A350-1000 engine checks

Inspections of Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines are precautionary measure after Cathay Pacific incident, agency says

There are 86 A350-1000 aircraft in service around the world. Reuters

The EU Aviation Safety Agency has ordered inspections on the Airbus A350-1000 fleet as a "precautionary measure" after a mid-air engine fire on a Cathay Pacific flight on Monday forced the airline to ground its fleet temporarily.

A phased one-off inspection of the flexible fuel hose connections inside the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines has been mandated to check for damage, the agency said in an emergency airworthiness directive late on Thursday.

Operators of the aircraft must conduct the checks in the next three to 30 days, depending on the individual engine history, it said.

"This action is a precautionary measure, based on the information received from the initial investigation of the recent Cathay Pacific serious incident and on the airline’s findings in its own subsequent inspections,” Florian Guillermet, the agency's executive director, said in the statement. “We will continue to follow closely all information that will be made available through the ongoing safety investigation.”

The agency added that inspections on the smaller A350-900, powered by the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engine, are "not warranted at this stage".

Qatar Airways is conducting checks on its fleet of A350-1000s after receiving the emergency airworthiness directive, the airline said in a statement on Friday. "The inspections are being conducted as a precautionary measure to ensure the continued safety and security of our passengers, which remains our highest priority," the airline said.

It is the largest operator of the A350-1000, with 24 in its fleet, aviation data company Cirium said.

There are currently 86 A350-1000 aircraft in service worldwide, according to EASA. Its inspection mandate is the first official confirmation that an engine fire caused Cathay Pacific's Zurich-bound Flight CX383 to return to Hong Kong shortly after taking off. The fire was detected and extinguished quickly and the aircraft returned safely to Hong Kong.

Airbus said it was "working closely" with Rolls-Royce and the authorities to carry out the precautionary measure.

Cathay Pacific, which was forced to cancel some flights to inspect its A350 fleet, said 15 of its 48 A350s had defective fuel hoses that needed to be replaced. It is aiming to return these wide-body aircraft to service by Saturday.

Etihad Airways on Thursday said it was inspecting its fleet of Airbus A350-1000s and had not discovered any problems with the Rolls-Royce engines.

The UAE civil aviation regulator is "closely monitoring the situation in co-ordination with EASA, Airbus and Rolls-Royce. As of today, there is no need for significant regulatory action", it said in a statement to The National on Thursday.

Global aviation regulators are under increasing scrutiny after a worldwide tightening of safety regulations, following US plane maker Boeing's safety crisis.