On September 5th, after Boeing encountered quality issues, Airbus saw an explosive increase in orders, but the aviation industry is now painfully discovering that the quality of Airbus may not be as reliable.

On Monday, a Cathay Pacific Air plane was forced to return due to a component failure. After addressing the issues with the flight, Cathay Pacific conducted inspections on all its A350 aircraft of the same type, resulting in the discovery of 15 out of 48 aircraft with engine component failures.

As of now, Cathay Pacific Air has canceled nearly 70 flights and stated that the flights will be suspended until this weekend or even longer as the repair work continues.

Following Cathay Pacific Air, Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines have also mentioned inspecting their A350 model aircraft. It is reported that more airlines are seeking explanations from Airbus and the engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, forcing Airbus and Rolls-Royce to publicly clarify the situation, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Sources say that Airbus's briefing could possibly take place as early as Thursday.

Big Trouble?

On Monday, Cathay Pacific Air's CX383 flight experienced fuel leakage approximately 75 minutes after takeoff, and had to return to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific Air pointed out that this was the first A350 aircraft globally to experience this type of malfunction. According to media reports, the malfunction was related to deformation and degradation of the fuel pipeline.

Insiders revealed that there is currently no evidence to prove that there is a widespread problem with the A350 aircraft, but this possibility cannot be ruled out, and it may require more airlines to join the investigation to draw a conclusion.

However, the aircraft manufacturer has always advised against conducting a global investigation, claiming that it would affect efficiency and lead to flight suspensions. However, the final decision actually lies with the regulatory authorities.

The European Aviation Safety Agency, the regulatory authority based in Airbus' location, is still observing the development and stated that it is conducting evaluations and cannot comment further at this time. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration stated that it will maintain communication with the European Aviation Safety Agency and respond based on Europe's findings and actions. The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department also stated that it will closely monitor the engine failures of Cathay Pacific's A350.

Whether or not Airbus' engine problem will cause major trouble for the aviation industry remains unknown. Until a reliable and stable supply of Boeing aircraft can be seen worldwide, Airbus has almost become the only dependable supplier. If Airbus is found to have quality issues, it will be a huge blow to the entire aviation industry.

According to industry insiders, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and Japan Airlines are the major airlines operating the A350 aircraft. There are 612 A350 aircraft in service worldwide, and there have been engine failures reported on as many as 88 of them.