KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airways mentioned on Friday it had discovered a “potential subject” with the engine of an Airbus A350-900 plane in its fleet however added that it had been resolved.
The problem comes after the European Union Aviation Security Company (EASA) issued an emergency directive to airways ordering mandated inspections on A350-1000s that are powered by XWB-97 engines made by Rolls-Royce.
The checks have been prompted by an “in-flight engine hearth” on one in every of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific’s Zurich-bound flights.
Malaysia Airways’ fleet of A350-900 planes “not too long ago underwent a precautionary inspection, throughout which a possible subject with high-pressure gasoline hoses on one plane was recognized,” the service mentioned in an announcement.
“This discovering was swiftly resolved, and the plane has been totally cleared for service in accordance with stringent upkeep protocols,” it added.
On Friday, following the incident, EASA mentioned extending its obligatory engine inspections to incorporate the XWB-84 engines discovered on the Malaysia Airways Airbus A350-900 is “not warranted at this stage”.
The Cathay incident prompted different airways within the area to hold out related checks on their A350-900 and A350-1000 fashions, that are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 and XWB-97 engines, respectively.
The EASA mentioned Thursday that Cathay’s A350-1000 plane suffered an engine failure attributable to a high-pressure gasoline hose failing.
It added that there was an “in-flight engine hearth shortly after take-off”, which was “promptly detected and extinguished”.
The EASA mentioned the XWB-84 engines “are related however differ in design and repair historical past” to the XWB-97.
Airbus on Friday mentioned the EASA directive “clearly limits these (checks) to the Trent XWB-97 engine and says inspections on the Trent XWB-84 are usually not warranted based mostly on present out there data”.
“I am positive we’ll uncover extra because the investigation progresses – and which solely EASA can talk about,” a spokesperson for the European plane maker informed AFP.
The Airbus points come as its US rival Boeing has strived to beat issues about security and high quality management issues in recent times.
– ‘Precautionary inspection’ –
There are 86 A350-1000 planes in service worldwide, in line with the EASA.
A spokesperson for Malaysia Airways informed AFP that the service has seven A350-900s with Trent XWB-84 engines, all of which have been inspected.
“Security and reliability are central to our operations, and we stay unwavering in our dedication to making sure the very best requirements of take care of our passengers and crew,” the airline mentioned in its assertion.
Rolls-Royce mentioned Thursday it was launching “a one-time precautionary engine inspection programme” which can apply “to a portion of the A350 fleet”.
The primary A350 was delivered to Qatar Airways on the finish of 2014.
Because the finish of the manufacturing of the jumbo A380, the A350 is Airbus’s largest plane.
The most important model, the 1000, can carry almost 500 passengers and journey greater than 16,000 kilometres (almost 10,000 miles) in a single hop.
That will probably be pushed to just about 18,000 km within the “Dawn” model ordered by Australian airline Qantas to fly instantly between Sydney and London.
The problem comes after the European Union Aviation Security Company (EASA) issued an emergency directive to airways ordering mandated inspections on A350-1000s that are powered by XWB-97 engines made by Rolls-Royce.
The checks have been prompted by an “in-flight engine hearth” on one in every of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific’s Zurich-bound flights.
Malaysia Airways’ fleet of A350-900 planes “not too long ago underwent a precautionary inspection, throughout which a possible subject with high-pressure gasoline hoses on one plane was recognized,” the service mentioned in an announcement.
“This discovering was swiftly resolved, and the plane has been totally cleared for service in accordance with stringent upkeep protocols,” it added.
On Friday, following the incident, EASA mentioned extending its obligatory engine inspections to incorporate the XWB-84 engines discovered on the Malaysia Airways Airbus A350-900 is “not warranted at this stage”.
The Cathay incident prompted different airways within the area to hold out related checks on their A350-900 and A350-1000 fashions, that are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 and XWB-97 engines, respectively.
The EASA mentioned Thursday that Cathay’s A350-1000 plane suffered an engine failure attributable to a high-pressure gasoline hose failing.
It added that there was an “in-flight engine hearth shortly after take-off”, which was “promptly detected and extinguished”.
The EASA mentioned the XWB-84 engines “are related however differ in design and repair historical past” to the XWB-97.
Airbus on Friday mentioned the EASA directive “clearly limits these (checks) to the Trent XWB-97 engine and says inspections on the Trent XWB-84 are usually not warranted based mostly on present out there data”.
“I am positive we’ll uncover extra because the investigation progresses – and which solely EASA can talk about,” a spokesperson for the European plane maker informed AFP.
The Airbus points come as its US rival Boeing has strived to beat issues about security and high quality management issues in recent times.
– ‘Precautionary inspection’ –
There are 86 A350-1000 planes in service worldwide, in line with the EASA.
A spokesperson for Malaysia Airways informed AFP that the service has seven A350-900s with Trent XWB-84 engines, all of which have been inspected.
“Security and reliability are central to our operations, and we stay unwavering in our dedication to making sure the very best requirements of take care of our passengers and crew,” the airline mentioned in its assertion.
Rolls-Royce mentioned Thursday it was launching “a one-time precautionary engine inspection programme” which can apply “to a portion of the A350 fleet”.
The primary A350 was delivered to Qatar Airways on the finish of 2014.
Because the finish of the manufacturing of the jumbo A380, the A350 is Airbus’s largest plane.
The most important model, the 1000, can carry almost 500 passengers and journey greater than 16,000 kilometres (almost 10,000 miles) in a single hop.
That will probably be pushed to just about 18,000 km within the “Dawn” model ordered by Australian airline Qantas to fly instantly between Sydney and London.