Airbus: A380 wing cracks pose no risk to safety

Engineers have discovered minor cracks in the wings of a "limited number" of A380 superjumbos but their safe operation is not affected, planemaker Airbus has said. The Sydney Morning Herald reported on its website that tiny cracks had appeared on wings of five aircraft including two in service, one with Qantas and another with Singapore Airlines. Emirates is the largest A380 operator in the world and has carried more than 7 million passengers since the superjumbo was introduced to its fleet in August 2008 but no faults have been reported on any of its A380s. "We confirm that minor cracks were found on some non-critical wing rib-skin attachments on a limited number of A380 aircraft," Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said in an email to Reuters. "We have traced the origin. Airbus has developed an inspection and repair procedure which will be done during routine, scheduled 4-year maintenance checks. In the meantime, Airbus emphasises that the safe operation of the A380 fleet is not affected." The newspaper said the first crack, barely visible to the human eye, was spotted on a Qantas A380 undergoing a $130m repair job in Singapore after a 2010 engine blowout. At first, the discovery was believed to be related to the explosion on an inboard Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine but the cause was later proved to be separate, the report said. Emirates Airline’s A380 operations are supported by more than 2,500 dedicated cabin crew and 362 pilots. The carrier’s 17 A380s now serve Munich, London Heathrow, Manchester, New York, Paris, Sydney, Auckland, Toronto, Bangkok, Seoul, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Rome and Kuala Lumpur.