Disappointments for the A350, Airbus’ flagship long-haul aircraft. Several airlines ordered inspections of the planes after Cathay Pacific grounded 48 aircraft for checks on Monday (2 September). The Hong Kong-based airline had mentioned a “failure” on a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engine during a flight to Zurich.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stressed on Thursday that this is a “Engine fire in flight, shortly after takeoff”linked a priori to “high pressure fuel lines” defective. During this incident involving an A350-1000, Airbus’ largest long-haul aircraft, “The fire was quickly detected and extinguished, and the plane returned safely to Hong Kong.”EASA detailed in a press release.
The European regulator has requested inspections only on the fleet of A350-1000s, aircraft equipped with XWB-97 engines. There are currently a total of 86 A350-1000s in service worldwide, but these “urgent airworthiness instructions” It only applies to aircraft based in Europe. The competent authorities in other geographical areas will have to take their own possible measures. The A350-900 model, which represents the vast majority of A350s in service (526 according to Airbus figures at the end of July), is not affected, as it is equipped with another variant of the engine, the less powerful Trent XWB-84.
A “possible problem” detected on an A350-900 and resolved by Malaysia Airlines
Inspections, to check for damage to the fuel lines inside the engines, “should be done within the next three to thirty days, depending on the individual engine history”according to AESA. “This action is a precautionary measure”Chief Executive Florian Guillermet stressed. British aircraft engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, for its part, said on Thursday “working closely together” with EASA “on a single preventive engine inspection programme, which could only be applied to a portion of the A350 fleet”.
On Friday, September 6, it was Malaysia Airlines that announced that it had found a “potential problem” on an Airbus A350-900 engine in its fleet. “Malaysia Airlines Berhad confirms that its A350-900 fleet, Trent an aircraftthe company announced. This issue was quickly resolved and the aircraft was fully cleared to return to service under strict maintenance protocols. » EASA has spoken out “not justified” request inspections on the Airbus A350-900 after this “potential problem”.
Airbus bets on the A350
The A350, the first example of which was delivered to Qatar Airways in late 2014, is, since the end of production of the A380 giant in 2021, the European aircraft manufacturer’s largest long-haul aircraft, capable of carrying up to nearly 500 passengers in its 1,000 version. The A350-1000 can travel more than 16,000 kilometres non-stop, and even nearly 18,000 in its future “Sunrise” configuration, ordered by the Australian company Qantas to connect Sydney with London in particular.
The A350, a competitor to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has received orders for 1,327 units, of which 613 have been delivered, according to a count made at the end of July. But only 612 are in service since a Japan Airlines plane crashed on the ground and caught fire in January.
Of this total, only 86 are 1000 versions, according to Airbus. The largest operator of this variant is Qatar Airways with 24 aircraft, followed by Cathay Pacific with 18, British Airways (18) and Virgin (12). In France, the Dubreuil group (Air Caraibes and French Bee) operates five. Air France, for its part, only flies A350-900s.
Last November, Emirates chief executive Tim Clark expressed concerns about the longevity of the A350’s engines. Rolls-Royce defended the Trent XWB-97s and said it was taking steps to improve their durability.
