Airbus A380 crack situation

All Airbus A380 aircraft in service are being checked for minute cracks found during routine maintenance on a Qantas plane.  The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is believed to have ordered the inspection after the alarm was raised by Australian engineers discovering 36 2cm cracks inside the wings of one it its five aircraft in service during a regular maintenance inspection.

The Australian flag carrier said in a statement: “This cracking is not related to the turbulence, or specific to Qantas, but is traced back to a manufacturing issue,” adding that Airbus had confirmed the cracks had no effect on flight safety.

The cracks are similar to those manufacturing defects which were found on a Qantas plane damaged following an engine malfunction in 2010.

They are however different to the 'type two' cracking on two A380s recently, which led to 20 of the planes being checked following orders from the EASA.

At the present time 68 Airbus A380s have been delivered to Air France, China Southern, Emirates, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas and Singapore Airlines.  In total 238 have been ordered by 17 airlines worldwide with the first aircraft for Thai International and Malaysia Airlines due for delivery this year, and British Airways early 2012. www.airbus.com

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