São Paulo – Routine inspection by airlines found new cracks in the wings of the Airbus A380. The European aircraft maker has not informed what airlines found the defects in their aircraft. Emirates, which flies 19 aeroplanes of the model, stated that it has “inspected one aircraft and currently has another under analysis.” In January, cracks had already been found in the wings of the Singapore Airlines and Qantas Superjumbos.
An Emirates press statement issued on Friday (20) said that the company would follow all European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) instructions. EASA norms determine that airlines that find this defect in their aircraft should contact the producer and follow instructions.
The small cracks found in the wings of some models of the A380 are due to stress the part was subjected to during assembly of the aircraft. The part is a secondary structure that connects the inside to the outside of a small part of the wing. This model started operating in 2007, for Singapore. Other aircraft of the model were then delivered to Qantas and Emirates, which has another 71 on order, apart from those that are already flying.
According to Emirates, the EASA norms will cause no impact on company operation. “The aircraft remain in perfect navigation conditions and are under no flight safety risk, as confirmed by EASA and Airbus. Safety of our passengers and crew is our main priority,” says the company.
*Translated by Mark Ament
