- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: Thai Airways International (THAI) confirmed on Wednesday (Sept 4) that it was still operating the Airbus A350 aircraft despite a news report on Cathay Pacific’s temporary suspension.
The remark came after the Hong Kong airline announced suspension of flights using the Airbus A350 aircraft until Thursday (Sept 5) for inspection of the aircraft engine.
Cathay Pacific’s move came after its CX383 flight from Hong Kong to Zurich was cancelled on Monday (Sept 2) after flying for only 75 minutes due to an issue with the aircraft’s right engine.
The inspection found that 15 of 48 Airbus A350 aircraft in the airline’s fleet need change of components. Three of them have already been repaired so far.
THAI chief executive officer Chai Eamsiri said the Thai national carrier had not ordered suspension of its 23 Airbus A350 aircraft.
He confirmed that the airline’s maintenance department inspected all aircraft regularly in line with safety standards. “Currently, there are no abnormalities in the aircraft’s engine,” he said.
Chai affirmed that the maintenance department would submit a report if any abnormalities were found in the aircraft.
He said the reason behind the problems with Cathay Pacific’s aircraft was still unclear, but he vowed to monitor this issue.
“THAI would like to confirm that the Airbus A350 fleet is still operating flights as normal, and the airline would continue regular inspections of the aircraft condition regularly in line with safety standards,” he said. - The Nation/ANN
