Cavitation
You don't have to have air at the HP pumps' inlet to result in cavitation. Cavitation will occur when the pressure is lowerd sufficiently to reach the 'boiling' (vapourisation) temperature of the fuel. That pressure may be
close to a vacuum for fuel already at a very low temperature.
It could well require the services of a Methusela to know just when cavitation damage occurred in the pumps. This could have happened during any periods when there were no booster pumps operating at high altitude with warmish fuel. Cavitation damage occurrs when the pumps lose their continuing lubrication by the fuel itself.
Can any boffins out there give us an idea as to the specific vapourisation pressures of jet fuel over the warm to cold temperature range?
This may be a bit of a useful learn for those who don't already know the dangers of cavitation with jet engine HP pumps.