Cathay scraps more flights with A350 fleet to fully resume operations by Saturday

Cathay scraps more flights with A350 fleet to fully resume operations by Saturday

Cathay Pacific Airways said on Wednesday its Airbus A350 fleet would fully resume operations by September 7 but would cancel an additional 11 regional return flights over the next couple of days.

Hong Kong's flag carrier said in a statement that 15 of its Airbus A350 planes needed their engine fuel lines replaced, after it inspected its 48-plane fleet that had been grounded.

"Fifteen aircraft were identified with engine fuel lines that require replacement. Of these, six have already undergone successful repairs and are cleared to operate," it said, adding that a total of 90 flights were canceled between Monday to Saturday.

“The remaining nine aircraft will be repaired and are expected to resume operation by Saturday (Sep 7)”, it noted.

Commenting on the incident, Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer Alex McGowan said the case was a significant situation for Cathay to manage as the engine component failure was the first of its type to occur on any A350 aircraft anywhere in the world.  

“Completing thorough inspection and maintenance for all A350 aircraft within such a short time frame has been challenging. The ability to safely deal with and resolve this issue reflects the can-do spirit of Cathay’s people,

“I would also like to extend my apology to customers whose travel plans were affected by this incident. At Cathay, the safety of our customers and our people guides every decision we make." McGowan said.