Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific has canceled two dozen flights A plane bound for Zurich from the city was forced to turn back due to an “engine component failure.”
The company said it was currently inspecting all 48 Airbus A350 aircraft and found faulty parts in some engines that needed to be replaced.
Rolls-Royce told the BBC the aircraft was powered by Trent XWB-97 engines.
Shares in the British engineering giant fell more than 6% in London trading on Monday.
Cathay Pacific said the engine component that caused its plane to return to Hong Kong was “the first such failure on any A350 aircraft in the world.”
“So far, we have identified some of the same engine components that need to be replaced, spare parts are in place and repairs are ongoing,” the airline said in a statement.
“As a result, some aircraft will be out of service for a number of days while this process is completed, and Cathay Pacific’s operational schedule will be affected.”
The airline expects inspections of its A350 fleet to be completed later Tuesday.
Cathay Pacific took delivery of the Airbus A350 aircraft in 2016, which are equipped with fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce engines.
Rolls-Royce told BBC News: “We are committed to working closely with the airline, aircraft manufacturer and relevant authorities to support their investigations into this incident.”
Earlier this year, Rolls-Royce announced plans to invest in improving its engine range, including the Trent XWB-97.
In 2023, Tim Clark, the boss of Gulf airline Emirates, expressed concerns about the durability of the engines and the maintenance costs of Rolls-Royce.
