An engine fire on a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350 earlier this month was the result of a fuel leak and could have caused extensive damage to the plane, according to investigators. Hong Kong’s flagship airline grounded planes after being forced to turn a flight around a couple of weeks ago because of an "engine component failure".

A cleaning process leading to fuel hose degradation during refurbishment may have caused a recent Airbus A350 engine fire that triggered dozens of Cathay Pacific flight cancellations this month, the EU aviation regulator said Thursday.

At Kaohsiung International Airport this morning, a Cathay Pacific Airbus 330-300 aircraft (B-LAQ) powered by Rolls Royce Trent 772B-60 engines, reportedly suffered an engine failure, leading to a loud noise, as experienced by the passengers.

A probe by Hong Kong's aviation accident investigation agency revealed Cathay Pacific's Airbus A350 engine failed in-flight due to a ruptured fuel hose which also showed signs of a fire, the agency's report stated on Thursday.

The engine defect in the Airbus A350 plane that led to the cancellation of dozens of Cathay Pacific flights in early September could have escalated into "extensive damage", according to a Hong Kong probe released Thursday.

A midair engine fire on a Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. flight earlier this month could have spread and caused widespread damage to the plane, a preliminary report said, as investigations continue into the incident and the failed components.

A probe by Hong Kong's aviation accident investigation agency revealed Cathay Pacific's Airbus A350 engine failed in-flight due to a damaged fuel hose which also showed signs of a fire, the agency's report stated on Thursday.