EASA Orders ‘Precautionary’ A350 Engine Inspections

The European aviation regulator is planning to issue an order requiring operators to inspect Airbus A350 engines.

An Airbus A350-1000 aircraft (Photo: Airbus)

[ Planes ]September 5, 2024 11:27 am ET

By Ryan Ewing

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is planning to issue an order requiring Airbus A350-1000 operators to inspect the aircraft’s engines, according to the AFP and Aviation Week. Coming just days after Cathay Pacific was forced to ground most of its A350 fleet, the regulator said the order was in response to an engine fire incident on Cathay flight 383 earlier this month.

On September 1, the flight from Hong Kong to Zurich — operated by an Airbus A350-1000 — suffered an engine fire on one of its Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97s. The jet safely returned to Hong Kong.

Following the incident, Cathay Pacific inspected its fleet of 30 A350-900s and 18 A350-1000s, finding defective fuel hoses on 15 aircraft. The Hong Kong-based airline has been forced to cancel 90 flights so far this week as a result of the engine issues.

“EASA is taking precautionary measures to prevent any further similar occurrence,” EASA said in a statement to the AFP. “We will require a one-time fleet inspection, which may be applicable only to a portion of the A350 fleet.”

European airlines have approximately 155 A350 aircraft currently in service per Cirium Fleet Analyzer data. The emergency airworthiness directive only applies to the larger A350-1000 variant with Trent XWB-97 engines.

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Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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Author

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.
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