By Tim Hepher
PARIS (Reuters) – Airbus and Rolls-Royce are preparing to inform airlines about the consequences of an engine emergency that prompted Cathay Pacific to review its A350 fleet as pressure mounts from airlines for clarity, two people familiar with the matter said.
Unless new evidence emerges as investigators examine the fuel system of a plane forced to return to Hong Kong on Monday, manufacturers have been reluctant to recommend controls worldwide, but the final say rests with regulators, the people said.
The briefings could take place as early as Thursday, they said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Some airlines, including Singapore Airlines (OTC:) and Japan Airlines, had been conducting precautionary checks of their entire A350 fleets after Cathay Pacific said it had discovered that 15 of its 48 A350 aircraft needed fuel line repairs.
Airbus declined to comment and referred queries to Hong Kong investigators, who could not be reached. Rolls-Royce and Cathay Pacific did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While the stance so far suggests there is no immediate discovery of a widespread flaw, it is too early to rule out further findings or analysis that could eventually require action by other airlines, said the people, who asked not to be identified.
It was not immediately clear whether the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) would back any decision to refrain from recommending action for the fleet, which threatens costly downtime as the industry struggles with maintenance backlogs.
“We have no further comment at this time as we are still completing our assessment,” an EASA spokesperson said.
The A350-1000, the larger of the two models in the Airbus A350 family, and its Rolls-Royce XWB-97 engines have been under scrutiny since a Zurich-bound plane was forced to return to Hong Kong after an engine problem, later blamed on a fuel leak.
Initial investigations revealed that a flexible tube feeding a fuel injection nozzle on the XWB-97 engine was punctured, the people said.
Hong Kong investigators are now expected to focus on whether that hole was the source of the fuel leak or was caused by a different, yet-to-be-identified problem, they added.
Hong Kong's Air Accidents Investigation Authority did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cathay Pacific said earlier it would resume operating all Airbus A350s, including the smaller A350-900 version, on Saturday after carrying out inspections and repairs on the fuel lines of 15 planes, having cancelled dozens of flights to inspect the aircraft.
There was no indication of what criteria had been used to decide whether the lines should be replaced or whether the changes had been approved by Rolls-Royce, which normally oversees engine maintenance under long-term service contracts. Neither company responded to a request for comment on the repairs.
So far, no other airlines have reported damage to fuel lines. Some have carried out voluntary checks since the incident, while others have said they are awaiting clarification from Rolls-Royce.
In London, Rolls-Royce shares rose 1.8% on Wednesday, extending a partial recovery after sharp falls on Monday.
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