Hong Kong’s civil aviation authority has affirmed that Cathay Pacific Airways fulfilled an emergency airworthiness directive, issued on Friday morning by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), requiring inspections of Airbus A350 aircraft powered by a specified engine model.

The EASA directive is applicable to all airlines that operate A350 aircraft powered by the specified engines worldwide after the Hong Kong flag carrier discovered an engine component failure on an A350 aircraft bound for Zurich on Sept 2.

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The airline said on Tuesday that 15 of its Airbus A350 jets would need a component replacement after a thorough examination following the in-flight failure. The next day, Cathay announced that its A350 fleet would fully resume operations by Saturday. 

The inspections and repairs to the Rolls-Royce engines that power its fleet of 48 A350 jets led the airline to cancel 45 return flights on mostly regional Asian routes this week, it said.

“As CPA (Cathay Pacific Airways) has taken the initiative to carry out precautionary measures earlier, the airline has already fulfilled the requirements of the directive,” the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) said in a notification on Friday evening.

READ MORE: Cathay’s A350 fleet to resume full operation by Saturday

The department said it has been proactive in following up on the matter and maintaining close communication with the airline to provide regulatory advice.

The CAD said it had taken the initiative to approach and notify relevant entities such as the EASA, as well as the manufacturers of the aircraft and engine concerned, besides coordinating with Cathay Pacific Airways to provide inspection results and data relating to engine components.

Specifically, the department said it held an online meeting with the EASA on Sept 4 to discuss the investigation.

Stressing that it attaches great importance to aviation safety, the CAD said it will ensure that all A350 aircraft flying into and out of Hong Kong comply with the relevant emergency airworthiness directive.

It said it would closely monitor the progress of the investigation to ensure follow-up actions are taken in a timely manner.