European aviation agency orders Airbus A350 safety fix

The European Aviation Safety Agency has issued an air worthiness directive about Airbus's A350-941 aircraft, warning that a problem could lead to an engine explosion under certain conditions if not corrected.

The Cologne, Germany-based agency, said that Airbus has already come up with a fix and the directive, which goes into effect Thursday, orders that it be implemented on all affected planes.

The problem involves the hydraulic fluid cooling system in the fuel tanks. EASA said a failure discovered with the hydraulic "engine driven pump" could cause a fast temperature rise.

If not corrected, EASA said the condition "could lead to an uncontrolled overheat of the hydraulic fluid, possibly resulting in the ignition of the fuel-air mixture in the affected fuel tank."