Malaysia Airlines told AFP on Sep. 6 that it found a “potential issue” with the engine of an Airbus A350-900 aircraft in its fleet, but added that it had been resolved.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in an emergency airworthiness directive on Sep. 5 had ordered A350-1000 operators to check fuel manifold hoses on the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
Cathay Pacific engine fire
The engine issue was first identified after a Trent XWB-97 engine caught fire on a Cathay Pacific A350-1000 flight to Zurich on Sep. 2, due to a high-pressure fuel hose failing.
The fire was promptly detected and extinguished, and the flight was turned back to Hong Kong.
Cathay then began inspecting its entire A350 fleet, consisting of 48 aircraft, leading to flight cancellations and multiple A350s grounded.
A350-900 aircraft cleared for service
The A350-900 planes, on the other hand, are powered by the Trent XWB-84 engine.
Unlike the XWB-97 engine, EASA said on Sep. 6 that the XWB-84 did not require mandatory inspections, as the design and service history of the two engines are different.
All the same, Malaysia Airlines told AFP that its fleet of A350-900 planes “recently underwent a precautionary inspection, during which a potential issue with high-pressure fuel hoses on one aircraft was identified”.
Further, Malaysia Airlines added that this finding was “swiftly resolved”, and the aircraft “has been fully cleared for service in accordance with stringent maintenance protocols.”
Top photo from Malaysia Airlines.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.