A380 superjumbos are to undergo safety checks after cracks were found in the aeroplane's British-made wings. Europe's air safety authority told airlines Friday to inspect nearly a third of the world's A380 superjumbo jets after Airbus found new cracks in metal brackets located inside the planes' wings.
A few planes, which have carried out more than 1,800 flights, will need inspections within four days, it said. Airbus said the cracks were not an immediate threat to safety. If cracks are found it will carry out repairs.
Easa said in a statement on Friday: "This condition, if not detected and corrected, could potentially affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane." It added that "further mandatory actions might be considered" as the investigation continues. It has ordered inspections for A380s that have flown more than 1,300 flight cycles – where an outbound and return flight count as one cycle – over the next six weeks. "It has been determined that the … cracks may develop on other aeroplanes after a period of time in service."
According to the Flightglobal website, the order affects 20 A380s: 10 owned by Singapore Airlines, seven owned by Emirates, one owned by Air France and two Airbus test planes. According to Reuters, the European Aviation Safety Agency issued its airworthiness directive after the European plane maker "disclosed two sets of cracks on its A380s just two weeks apart."
The airworthiness directive called for "a detailed visual inspection" of the aircraft's so-called "wing rib feet" - the metal brackets that connect the wing's ribs to its skin.
The problem relates to brackets that attach A380 ribs - elongated, oval-shaped frames which run along the width of the wing - to the wing material. There are more than 2,000 of these brackets per A380 wing but it is understood that cracks have been discovered on only a few of them. The flaw is caused by the pressure exerted on bolt holes when the brackets are attached to the ribs. Airbus has already adjusted the manufacturing process for its A380s, with the cracks occurring on planes that were among the first to roll off Airbus production lines.
The agency gives airlines between four days and six weeks from January 24 to carry out the checks, depending on how much flying time the plane already has clocked up.
But the aircraft aren't grounded, and Howard Wheeldon, Senior Strategist at BGC Partners says Airbus or the operating airlines wouldn't be flying the planes if they were unsafe. He said: "I don't think we should be worried at all because I think the commitment to the aircraft from the manufacturer and the words that they've used this week are supportive that this aircraft is very safe and should continue to fly."
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