Airbus, Rolls-Royce to brief airlines as pressure mounts for clarity

Reuters and Wallis Wang

Airbus and Rolls-Royce are preparing to brief airlines on the fallout from an engine emergency that prompted Cathay Pacific to review its fleet of A350 jets as pressure from airlines mounts for clarity, two people familiar with the matter said.

Barring fresh evidence as investigators examine the fuel system of a jet forced to return to Hong Kong on Monday, manufacturers have been leaning against recommending worldwide checks but the final word lies with regulators, the people said.

A total of 90 Cathay Pacific flights were canceled from Monday to Saturday as Hong Kong's flag carrier inspected its Airbus A350 fleet.

Some carriers including Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines had been conducting precautionary checks of their entire A350 fleets after Cathay said it had found 15 of its 48 A350 jets needed repairs to fuel lines.

Although the stance so far suggests there is no immediate discovery of a widespread flaw, it is too early to rule out further findings or analysis that may eventually require action by other airlines, the people said.

The A350-1000, the larger of two models in the Airbus A350 family, and its Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines have been under the spotlight since a Zurich-bound jet was forced to return to Hong Kong after an engine problem, later traced to a fuel leak. Initial investigations have revealed that a flexible pipe feeding a fuel injection nozzle in the XWB-97 engine was pierced, the people said. Hong Kong investigators are now expected to focus on whether that hole was the origin of the fuel leak or was itself caused by a different problem yet to be identified, the people added.

So far no other airline has reported damage to fuel lines.

Some have carried out voluntary checks since the incident while others have said they are awaiting clarity from Rolls-Royce.

Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association chairman Paul Weatherilt told The Standard yesterday that if a pipe fails, the fuel could spill onto a hot part of the engine and cause an engine fire.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com