Airline grounds all Airbus superjumbos after cracks found on wings

Published on Wednesday 8 February 2012 12:32

AUSTRALIAN airliner Qantas have ordered checks on all Airbus A380 superjumbos after cracks were found in wing components on the world’s largest passenger aircraft.

The latest incident involves hairline cracks found on the wings of an A380, which is operated by Qantas.

The wings of Airbus planes are made in the UK. Qantas has temporarily grounded the aircraft involved.

The airline said the 36 cracks posed no threat to safety and they were different from the types of cracks that manufacturer Airbus found in the wings of two jets last month.

That discovery prompted the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) to order an inspection of some A380s.

Airbus has now ordered inspections of all A380s.

British Airways is due to take delivery of the first of 12 A380s next year, while the first of Virgin’s eight superjumbos will arrive in 2015.

Singapore Airlines, one of the carriers that operates A380s in and out of Heathrow airport, was the first airline to take delivery of a superjumbo, with the debut passenger flight taking place in October 2007.

Superjumbo services to Heathrow began in March 2008, with Manchester airport services starting in September 2010.

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