The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring inspections on the fleet of Airbus A350-1000s equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, following a serious incident on a Cathay Pacific flight. The measure is precautionary, following a fire in one of the engines of an A350-1000 during a flight from Hong Kong to Zurich.
On 1 September 2024, the aircraft, powered by Trent XWB-97 engines, experienced an in-flight fire shortly after takeoff. The fire was quickly detected and extinguished, allowing the aircraft to safely return to Hong Kong. Following the incident, Cathay Pacific conducted inspections on its A350 fleet and reported similar issues on other aircraft.
In response, EASA has mandated inspections of the flexible fuel hose connections on Trent XWB-97 engines, with timeframes ranging from three to 30 days, depending on the history of each engine. In total, 86 A350-1000 aircraft are currently in service worldwide.
“This action is a preventive measure based on the initial findings of the Cathay Pacific incident investigation and subsequent inspections of the airline,” said Florian Guillermet, Executive Director of EASA.
The investigation into the incident has been classified as serious and is being conducted under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 13 standards by the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority.
At this time, the inspections only affect the Trent XWB-97 engines on the A350-1000, not including the Trent XWB-84 engines fitted to the A350-900, as they are similar but differ in design and service history