Cathay Pacific’s A350 engine fault has triggered a wave of responses from the global aviation industry leading to flight cancellations and fleet inspections.
On September 2, a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Zurich encountered an engine malfunction mid-flight, forcing the plane to return to Hong Kong.
The carrier later discovered that 15 aircraft in its Airbus A350s needed engine component replacements.
As a result, Cathay Pacific canceled dozens of flights.
The Airbus A350 involved in the malfunction is widely used by airlines worldwide.
Bloomberg data shows that as of July, four mainland Chinese airlines operated 78 A350-900 aircraft:
* Air China: 30
* China Southern: 20
* China Eastern: 20
* Sichuan Airlines: 8
Flightradar24 data indicates that Air China canceled four domestic flights scheduled for Wednesday, which were to be operated by A350-900s.
Major A350 operators in Asia, including Singapore Airlines and Japan Airlines, announced plans to inspect their fleet.
