A single plane may typically run through up to four engines during its lifespan. — Photos: Pixabay
Why are aircraft engines failing with such seeming regularity? It is a question air passengers are rightly asking these days as inflight engine shutdowns and aircraft groundings due to mechanical failures grab the headlines.
Cathay Pacific brought this issue to the fore anew when it grounded its Airbus A350 fleet following a problem on a Zurich, Switzerland-bound A350-1000 from Hong Kong. The CX383 plane lost one engine shortly after take-off on Sept 2, and landed safely back in Hong Kong after dumping fuel. The grounding was temporary and focused on a fuel nozzle failure in the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engine that affected 15 aircraft. No one was injured.
