Cathay inspects Airbus A350 fuel lines after component fault

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.’s inspection of its Airbus SE A350 fleet is focused on deformed or degraded fuel lines in the engines of the widebody aircraft, after the discovery of the issue caused multiple flight cancellations as engineers switch out parts.

The airline has asked its engineers to make specific checks to the flexible hoses supplying fuel to the engine for abnormalities, deformation, kinks, bulges or degradation, according to people familiar with the process, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. Cathay Pacific declined to comment on the specific engine component issue.

The discovery on Monday prompted a sharp drop in the shares of Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc, the sole engine maker for the Airbus A350. The stock rebounded on Tuesday amid optimism that the issue can be fixed swiftly and won’t require costly engine maintenance, recertification of parts or even more complex redesign. 

“Given that this seems like a relatively minor issue in terms of costs and commercial implications, this looks like a normal course-of-business type problem,” said Nick Cunningham, an analyst at Agency Partners. “That is, a problem you would rather not have, but one that is relatively straightforward and not costly to fix.”

Rolls-Royce rose as much as 4.8% in London trading, after falling as much as 8.2% on Monday. The company said it’s “committed to working closely with the airline, aircraft manufacturer and the relevant authorities to support their efforts.” Cathay’s Hong Kong-listed shares slid 0.5% Tuesday. Airbus referred a request for comment to Rolls Royce and the airline.

While Cathay has said it’s found 15 aircraft across the -900 and -1000 variants with the same affected engine components that require replacement, no other airline has come forward for now with similar issues. With the cause of the defect unknown, possible scenarios include heat from the engine, a fuel hose pinched by another part, or the hose being misinstalled, allowing it to twist,” said Darryl Chan of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. 

The airline said it was first that the engine component in question had suffered a failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide. The A350 is widely flown on global routes, and the smaller -900 variant is by far the more popular type. Other carriers said they’re monitoring the situation, though none have come forward so far with issues resembling those of Cathay. 

Singapore Airlines Ltd., the biggest operator of the model with some 64 of the A350-900 variant in its fleet, said it’s inspecting its planes as a precautionary measure, a step followed by the likes of Japan Airlines Co. Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it’s monitoring the engine issue developments ‘”very close.”

Cathay said that three jets have already gone through successful repairs, the remaining aircraft will continue to be out of service until they’re repaired and cleared, with operations expected to fully resume by Saturday. The carrier will cancel another 20 flights scheduled for Wednesday, on top of the 48 already scrapped since the issue was discovered. 

There still remains a risk that the findings at Cathay expands into a costly maintenance issue for Rolls-Royce. Engines have become a flashpoint for airlines, particularly on the widely flown single aisle aircraft using the latest model by Rolls Royce competitor Pratt & Whitney.

Even before Cathay’s discovery, the Rolls-Royce engine on the A350, particularly for the larger variant, had faced criticism from some airlines. Emirates has refused to order the model in the large numbers previously planned, with President Tim Clark calling the power plant “defective” because of its high maintenance requirements in harsh climates like Dubai.

Local media in China reported that the Civil Aviation Administration of China is assessing whether it needs to inspect A350 engines on aircraft flown by Chinese carriers.