A spokeswoman said it had been informed of an incident affecting a Cathay A350 aircraft and the agency was in contact with Airbus and Rolls-Royce.
“We will be monitoring any information coming out of the technical investigation and will take decisions on any fleet-level action as required,” she said.
Rolls-Royce said on Tuesday that the investigation in Hong Kong restricted it from commenting on the matter but it was “committed to working closely with the airline, aircraft manufacturer and the relevant authorities to support their efforts”.
“As well as providing support and guidance to Cathay Pacific, Rolls-Royce will also keep other airlines that operate Trent XWB-97 engines fully informed of any relevant developments as appropriate,” it said.
Airbus said it was working closely with Rolls-Royce and Cathay, adding: “At this time it would be inappropriate for us to comment further, pending further investigation.”
Lo Kok-keung, a veteran engineer retired from Polytechnic University, said all airlines operating the A350 aircraft should immediately conduct checks, especially the fuel nozzle and pipes.
“Checking these two parts does not take a long time,” Lo said. “Safety matters. If there are problems with the pipes, the fuel will not be able to be transferred from the tank to the engine and also, if heat becomes trapped in the pipes, it could even lead to an engine fire.”
He added airlines should be able to detect whether there were blockages in the fuel pipes and nozzles that could affect the flow of fuel to the engines during routine inspections.
Source: CNA
