EU orders urgent checks on 16 Emirates, Qantas A380s aircraft over wing cracks
Mumbai, June 24
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has ordered urgent inspections of 16 Airbus A380 aircraft after cracks were found in wing structural components, raising fresh concerns over the long-term integrity of the world's largest passenger jet, as per multiple reports.
The emergency airworthiness directive -- which is coming into force on Wednesday -- requires operators to inspect wing mid-spars on affected aircraft after regulators concluded that cracks identified during earlier inspections could compromise wing strength.
Reports claim that 15 of the affected aircraft are operated by Emirates, while one belongs to Qantas.
Under the directive, five aircraft must be inspected before they can return to service.
While the remaining 11 must undergo checks within the next 25 flight cycles.
In addition, the EASA's latest action follows a review of inspection data collected under previous airworthiness directives.
Airlines have been instructed to obtain detailed inspection procedures from Airbus and submit inspection findings within seven days, irrespective of whether cracks are detected.
However, any aircraft found with structural discrepancies will have to undergo repairs before resuming commercial operations.
Emirates -- which operates the world's largest A380 fleet with more than 100 aircraft -- accounts for the bulk of the jets covered by the directive.
Meanwhile, Qantas said its affected aircraft -- registered as VH-OQI -- is already undergoing heavy maintenance in Dresden, Germany, and the latest order is not expected to disrupt its operations.
Moreover, the regulator has not identified an immediate safety risk for the broader A380 fleet and has allowed limited non-passenger ferry flights to enable aircraft to be repositioned for inspections and maintenance.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, this is a bit worrying. I've flown Emirates A380s a few times - the sheer size of that plane is amazing, but you don't want cracks in the wings. EASA is doing the right thing by acting fast. Let's hope Airbus gives clear repair procedures quickly.
Interesting that only 16 aircraft are affected out of a huge global fleet. But the fact that cracks were found in wing mid-spars suggests a design or manufacturing issue that might affect more planes over time. Airbus needs to investigate root cause rather than just patching.
As someone who tracks Indian aviation closely, I'm glad our airlines don't operate A380s anymore - too heavy for most Indian airports anyway. But this shows why regular inspections are so important. Safety first, always. 👨✈️
15 out of 16 affected planes being Emirates is a huge concentration. That's a massive operational headache for them - they might need to shuffle schedules or even temporarily reduce capacity on some routes. Hope their maintenance team is prepared for this challenge.
Airline safety rules are getting stricter by the day, and that's a good thing. But what about the passengers who booked on these specific aircraft? Emirates should proactively offer rebooking or compensation instead of waiting for complaints. Just saying. 🤷♂️
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