Cathay Pacific Airways, headquartered in Hong Kong, has canceled 90 flights this week due to a malfunctioning engine component affecting its Airbus A350 fleet.
The airline initially grounded 48 flights on Tuesday and 20 on Wednesday, with an additional 22 flights canceled from Thursday to Saturday. The cancellations primarily impact regional routes, though one long-haul flight was affected on Monday.
Among the disrupted routes are flights between Hong Kong and major cities including Sydney, Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, and Singapore.
Cathay Pacific has notified all affected passengers and provided alternative travel arrangements. To assist with travel disruptions, the airline has waived ticket change fees, including rebooking and rerouting charges.
The cancellations stem from a component failure discovered on Monday, prompting a comprehensive inspection of the Airbus A350 fleet. The inspection revealed that 15 aircraft required fuel line repairs. As of Wednesday, six of these planes have been repaired and cleared for operation.
The airline has indicated that no additional cancellations are anticipated, and it expects all affected aircraft to resume service by Saturday.
The flight disruptions have led to confusion and dissatisfaction among travelers. For instance, Lim and his family from Singapore, who were set to embark on a five-day trip to Hong Kong, faced a 12-hour delay and subsequent cancellation of their Tuesday flight. They were rebooked on a later flight but expressed frustration over the lack of communication from the airline.
“We’re very disappointed in how Cathay has managed this issue,” Lim stated. “We had to search for information online, and there’s been no official update from the airline.”
Complaints regarding the flight cancellations have also emerged on Xiaohongshu, a popular Chinese social media platform, where travelers have voiced their discontent over disrupted plans.
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