Malaysia Airlines finds, resolves ‘potential issue’ on A350-900 engine

The Cathay Pacific incident prompted other airlines in the region to carry out similar checks on their A350-900 and A350-1000 models

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Malaysia Airlines has seven A350-900s with Trent XWB-84 engines, all of which have been inspected. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:00pm, 6 Sep 2024Updated: 12:02am, 7 Sep 2024

Malaysia Airlines said on Friday it had found a “potential issue” with the engine of an Airbus A350-900 aircraft in its fleet but added that it had been resolved.

The issue comes after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency directive to airlines ordering mandated inspections on A350-1000s which are powered by XWB-97 engines made by Rolls-Royce.

The checks were prompted by an “in-flight engine fire” on one of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific’s Zurich-bound flights.

Malaysia Airlines’ fleet of A350-900 planes “recently underwent a precautionary inspection, during which a potential issue with high-pressure fuel hoses on one aircraft was identified”, the carrier said in a statement.

“This finding was swiftly resolved, and the aircraft has been fully cleared for service in accordance with stringent maintenance protocols,” it added.

The A350-900 Airbus long-haul carrier at the aerodrome of Toulouse-Blagnac in 2013. Photo: AFP

On Friday, following the incident, EASA said extending its compulsory engine inspections to include the XWB-84 engines found on the Malaysia Airlines Airbus A350-900 is “not warranted at this stage”.