How Cathay Pacific's A350 Problems Could Affect Rolls-Royce

The British manufacturer Rolls-Royce, which makes and maintains the engines for the Airbus A350, has come under scrutiny following an engine failure on Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways aircraft from Hong Kong on Monday.

Investors are trying to determine whether this incident could have larger implications for Rolls-Royce as airlines that operate the twin-aisle A350 start conducting fleet inspections. The A350 is mostly used for long-haul flights and can accommodate up to 410 passengers.

What Went Wrong on the Flight?

According to a Reuters report, a problem unfolded several minutes after take-off on flight CX383 from Hong Kong to Zurich on Monday, according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24. The five-year-old A350-1000 plane performed two wide circles and dumped fuel over the sea before returning to Hong Kong, where it landed safely about 75 minutes after its departure. Cathay Pacific said it identified an engine component failure after the aircraft returned to Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific has not specified which engine component failed, but the carrier said it was the "first of its type to suffer such failure on any A350 aircraft worldwide." A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the incident involved a problem with a fuel nozzle inside a XWB-97 engine, the Rolls-Royce model used on the A350-1000. Now 15 jets need a replacement part. The airline has already had to cancel 34 return flights.

What Could The Implications Be For Rolls-Royce?

According to The Guardian, the key question for Rolls-Royce is: how widespread is the problem? The company that makes the engines in Derby earns much of its money from fees related to engine flying hours, so groundings can be costly.

Tufan Erginbilgic, Rolls-Royce's chief executive, has overseen an astonishing appreciation in the company's market value - up nearly fivefold to 39 billion pounds - since taking over at the start of 2023. As well as cutting management jobs, he has achieved this increase in part by charging airline customers more. However, these customers might baulk at the rising charges if their engines are out of service for long periods. The company highlighted the Cathay statements that it had secured the spare parts and that repairs could be completed quickly, without needing to remove the engines entirely.