HONG KONG- Cathay Pacific Airways (CX) flight from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) diverted to Lanzhou, Mainland China following an engine failure discovered mid-journey today (March 6, 2025).
Flight CX233 departed at 12:50 AM Thursday and was scheduled to arrive at Milano Malpensa Airport at 7:40 AM local time.
Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – Cathay Pacific, B-KPL, Boeing 777-367 ER, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72202271Cathay Pacific Flight Diverted
According to FlightRadar24 data, Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX233 took off from Hong Kong at 17:19 UTC. After being airborne for over four hours and 26 minutes, the flight made a precautionary landing at Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport (LHW).
The cockpit crew identified a malfunction in the left engine approximately 4½ hours after takeoff and requested an emergency landing in Lanzhou. When ground control inquired about the possibility of diverting to Chengdu instead, the crew decisively declined, the SCMP reported.
Photo: Aero Icarus | FlickrThe flight was operated by Boeing 777-300ER, registered as B-KQV. Further, it is a 10.1-year-old aircraft, powered by General Electric GE90 engines.
The Boeing 777 aircraft jettisoned 55 tonnes of fuel before safely landing at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport at 5:35 AM. Cathay Pacific intends to arrange alternative transportation for passengers by late Thursday afternoon.
Photo: Clément AlloingSimilar Incidents
Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX431 bound for Hong Kong experienced a critical engine failure during takeoff at Kaohsiung Airport in Taiwan on August 31, 2024. The Airbus A330-300 aborted its departure when flames and smoke erupted from its right engine.
Social media footage captured the moment the aircraft’s right engine ignited shortly after beginning its takeoff roll. The plane veered rightward before pilots corrected its course and halted it midway down the runway.
Passengers reported hearing a loud bang before the aircraft stopped. The flight, carrying over 200 individuals, had been scheduled to depart shortly after 11 am local time.
Flightradar24 tracking data confirmed that Cathay Pacific flight CX431 returned to the terminal following the aborted takeoff. Authorities reported no injuries among passengers or crew.
The incident involved a 12-year-old Airbus A330-300 registered as B-LAQ, powered by two Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines. Cathay Pacific deployed a larger Boeing 777-300 to transport stranded passengers later that day, while some travelers were rerouted to flights operated by other airlines. The company provided meal vouchers to affected passengers during their wait.
Similarly, on September 2, 2024, Hong Kong-based airline identified a critical Rolls-Royce engine component failure after flight CX383 to Zurich returned to Hong Kong.
The carrier reports this component failure marks the first occurrence of its kind on any A350 aircraft worldwide. In response, Cathay Pacific initiated a fleetwide inspection of its 48 A350s as a precautionary measure.
Cathay Pacific’s A350 fleet consists of 18 A350-1000s equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines and 30 A350-900s powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engines.
The affected A350-1000 aircraft, registered as B-LXI, entered service with Cathay Pacific in February 2019. It had accumulated 22,036 flight hours across 2,839 cycles as of September 2024.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
Cathay Pacific A350 Engine Fire is Due to Cleaning Process: EASA
The post Cathay Pacific 777 Operating Hong Kong to Milan Flight Diverted to Lanzhou appeared first on Aviation A2Z.
