Airbus A380 Cracks Prompt EU Safety Regulator to Seek Inspection

Airbus A380

Bloomberg) — Airbus SAS’s flagship A380 superjumbo planes will require inspections after additional cracks appeared on structures inside the wings, the European Aviation Safety Agency said.

EASA plans to issue an airworthiness directive today advising airlines on procedures, Dominique Fouda, a spokesman for the agency, said by phone from Cologne, Germany, yesterday. The agency hasn’t yet determined how often the planes will need to be checked, Fouda said.

The planned safety ruling follows separate disclosures last week by Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Qantas Airways Ltd., which said they had found small cracks in parts known as wing-rib feet, which attach the rib, a vertical structure, to the cover of the wing. Airbus Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said that while the cracks are “embarrassing,” they pose no dangers to passengers on the 525-seat planes.

“I can’t say I’m proud” of the situation, Enders said in an interview with CNN that aired late yesterday after EASA announced its intention to require inspections. “We’re obviously investigating how it happened. We think we have a good understanding but the investigation is ongoing.”

Airbus had initially advised on Jan. 5 that the faults, linked to a manufacturing issue, could be fixed during scheduled four-year maintenance checks and didn’t need immediate checks.

Applying a Fix

Airbus has developed a “repair solution” that can be applied if necessary, Enders said. He attributed the cracks to a “manufacturing process,” and said Airbus is applying a fix on aircraft being built.

“Safety is an absolute priority,” Enders said, adding that the defect wasn’t something that would show up on other models.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said in an e- mailed statement that its engineers are working with EASA on the issue. No U.S. airlines operate the jet.

A380 operators worldwide include Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qantas, China Southern Airlines Co., Korean Air Lines Co., Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Air France.

Engineers first discovered the cracks in the wing ribs of a Qantas A380 while they were repairing the aircraft, which was badly damaged after the mid-air explosion of a Rolls-Royce Plc Trent engine shortly after a takeoff from Singapore in November 2010.

Initially, engineers thought the cracks were related to the accident. Further inspections showed cracks on some other A380s in the fleets of Qantas and Singapore Airlines, leading Airbus to advise repairs during regularly scheduled four-year maintenance checks.

Lufthansa, Air France

Deutsche Lufthansa’s fleet of eight A380s is as yet unaffected by the cracks, Patrick Meschenmoser, a Frankfurt- based spokesman, said by phone.

Air France KLM Group, whose Air France unit operates four A380s, has been informed about the possibility of cracks and will take any necessary measures, Brigitte Barrand, a spokeswoman, said by telephone without indicating whether the airline had discovered any cracks.

Airbus has told Emirates, the biggest operator of the A380, that the cracks aren’t “a major issue of any sort,” said Nigel Page, Emirates’ director of commercial operations for the Americas region. In an interview from Seattle, he said he wasn’t aware if the airline had found any cracks.

Airbus is a unit of European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co.

–With assistance from Andrew Noel in London, Alex Webb in Frankfurt, Susanna Ray in Seattle and Alan Levin in Washington. Editors: Andrea Snyder, Bernard Kohn

source:  http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-19/airbus-a380-cracks-prompt-eu-safety-regulator-to-seek-inspection.html

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