The British company has seen its share price soar to record highs thanks to a turnaround in performance under chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic since he took the helm in early 2023.
However, Rolls-Royce has been hit by an engine defect on an Airbus A350 plane that led to the cancellation of dozens of Cathay Pacific flights this month.
Findings of a Hong Kong probe, published Thursday, found that the defect could have escalated into "extensive damage".
Responding, Rolls-Royce said it continued "to work closely" with regulators "to support the ongoing investigation".
Cathay Pacific briefly grounded its fleet of A350s for inspections and repairs after a Zurich-bound plane was forced to turn around and head back to the Chinese city on September 2.
The inspections found that components on 15 of the 48 planes in Cathay's fleet of A350s, powered by Rolls-Royce engines, had to be replaced.
Rolls-Royce -- not to be confused with its former automobile division Rolls-Royce Motors -- supplies engines to Airbus and Boeing, the world's biggest aircraft manufacturers.
- Earlier engine trouble -
Rolls-Royce has been hit by previous engine trouble this century. In 2010, one of its Trent 900 engines used to power an Airbus A380 superjumbo and flown by Qantas Airways, caught fire mid-flight.
The aircraft had to return to Singapore where it landed with significant damage to one wing.
Rolls-Royce took full responsibility for the incident, paying GBP 56 million in compensation to the Australian airline, which had to ground its A380 fleet.
The British company, air-transport regulators and operators with A380s equipped with Trent 900 engines later either removed defective engines or made them compliant.
In 2019, Rolls-Royce encountered durability issues with its Trent 1000 engine when some parts began to wear quicker than expected, which forced the engine-maker to carry out costly repairs.
The fallout hit the group's 2019 profits by around GBP 1.4 billion, as it paid for custumer disruption and repairs.
Four years ago, Rolls-Royce launched inspections on a "small number" of Trent XWB-84 engines used in Airbus A350 jets after discovering signs of "wear".
- Battle of Britain -
Founded in 1906 by Henry Royce and Charles Rolls, the company first produced renowned automobiles such as the Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, identifiable by a signature bonnet ornament, the Spirit of Ecstasy.
It quickly launched into manufacturing aircraft engines in 1914 to supply the UK during the First World War.
During the Second World War, its Merlin engine equipped the legendary Spitfire, the aircraft symbol of the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Rolls-Royce entered the civil aviation market in 1953, but was nationalised in 1971 after encountering financial difficulties.
The company separated from its auto division two years later, then was privatised again in 1987 under then British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.
It faced a series of ups and downs in the intervening years, which at points forced it to restructure.
Rolls-Royce employed 41,800 people in 2022 in nearly 50 countries, according to its website.
Shares in the company hit a record high in August. Erginbilgic had decided to axe up to 2,500 jobs worldwide, or about six percent of group staff, after tough times for Rolls that has caused its suspension of dividends since the Covid pandemic.
In the second quarter, the company reported that operating profit almost doubled to more than GBP 1.6 billion.
Hong Kong probe finds Cathay Airbus defect could cause 'extensive' damage
Hong Kong (AFP) Sept 19, 2024 -
An engine defect in the Airbus A350 plane that led to the cancellation of dozens of Cathay Pacific flights this month could have escalated into "extensive damage", according to the results of a Hong Kong probe released Thursday.
Hong Kong-based Cathay briefly grounded its fleet of A350s for inspections and repairs after a Zurich-bound plane was forced to turn around and head back to the Chinese city on September 2.
The inspections found that components on 15 of the 48 planes in the fleet of A350s, powered by engines from the British manufacturer Rolls-Royce, had to be replaced.
In Thursday's report, the Hong Kong investigators said a post-flight examination of the Zurich-bound plane found that a fuel hose had ruptured, as evidenced by a "discernible hole", burn marks and "black soot observed on the aft section of the core engine".
The fuel could have leaked through the ruptured hose and resulted in a fire that would have spread to surrounding areas, said the report released by the Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA).
"If not promptly detected and addressed, this situation... could escalate into a more serious engine fire, potentially causing extensive damage to the aircraft," it said, categorising the incident as "serious".
Five additional fuel hoses in the Zurich-bound plane -- which was manufactured in 2019 -- were also found to have either "frayed metal braids or collapsed structures", the authority said.
To address the issue, the AAIA recommended that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency require Rolls-Royce to "develop continuing airworthiness information, including but not limited to, inspection requirements of the secondary fuel manifold hoses" of the engines in question.
In its report, Hong Kong investigators said the Cathay flight crew saw an engine fire warning for the number two engine shortly after liftoff.
The crew declared an emergency "mayday" signal but later downgraded it to a call indicating an urgent situation.
The fire warning was cleared after 59 seconds, as the crew shut down the engine and used a fire extinguisher.
Thursday's preliminary report "should be regarded as tentative", a spokesman said.
- 'Precautionary measure' -
The Zurich-bound Cathay plane that was forced to return to Hong Kong was an A350-1000 model, the AAIA report said.
The Cathay incident prompted other airlines in Asia to carry out similar checks on their A350-900 and A350-1000 models, which are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 and XWB-97 engines.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also mandated inspections on A350-1000s as a "precautionary measure", noting that there are 86 such aircraft in service worldwide.
However, it said mandatory inspections of Airbus A350-900 engines were "not warranted at this stage".
Rolls-Royce said Thursday that it was continuing to work closely with regulators to support the ongoing investigation.
"The engine and aircraft system promptly detected and addressed the issue, as expected with such an incident," a spokesperson said.
Cathay said in a statement that it is "in full compliance with the EASA Emergency Airworthiness Directive" referenced in the Hong Kong investigators' report.
The airline "continues to work closely with the airframe and engine manufacturers and regulator," it added.
Qatar Airways is the biggest operator of the A350-1000, with 24 in its fleet, followed by Cathay Pacific and British Airways, which both have 18.
Airbus declined to comment on the AAIA report, while the EASA have not responded to AFP's requests for comment.
Last November, Emirates chief executive Tim Clark expressed concerns about the durability and longevity of A350 engines.
Rolls-Royce has defended its Trent XWB-97 engines and said it is taking steps to improve their durability.
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