Emirates allays A380 safety fears

Emirates airline, the world’s fastest growing carrier and the biggest customer for Airbus A380, said on Wednesday that the aircraft remain fully airworthy and pose no risk to flight safety as European air safety regulators ordered inspections of the entire fleet of the superjumbo jets for tiny cracks in a wing component.Responding to an airworthiness directive issued Airbus and the European Aviation Safety Agency, the Dubai-based carrier said it had inspected four of its A380s and that the new directive doesn’t affect operations.On Wednesday, airlines were ordered to inspect all operating A380 aircraft, as Europe’s air safety regulator escalated required checks after the wings of the double-decker superjumbo developed cracks. The directive by the European Aviation Safety Agency addresses all 68 A380s in operation, after the watchdog had initially targeted only the 20 most heavily used airliners in a previous request. Carriers must report their inspections to Airbus, which said the plane remains safe to fly.“In response to the updated airworthiness directive issued on February 8, 2012 by aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the European Aviation Safety Agency Emirates is fully complying,” the airline said in a statement to Khaleej Times.“To date, we have inspected four aircraft. The directive poses no impact on Emirates operations. The aircraft remain fully airworthy and pose no risk to flight safety as affirmed by EASA and Airbus. The safety of our passengers and crew is our highest priority.”Emirates has ordered 90 of the $375 million jetliner, and already operates 20 in its fleet. Qantas Airways is the second-largest customer for the A380, with 12. The Australian carrier pulled one A380 out of service today after finding the fissures in the wings.The hairline cracks stem from an assembly process that Airbus has said it knows how to fix. The company is seeking to protect the reputation of its flagship aircraft, whose popularity with passengers has yet to translate into profitability for the manufacturer. Singapore Airlines, the first operator of the aircraft in 2007, said it has repaired most of the 10 jets in its fleet and put them back into service.The discovery of the cracks is linked to an incident in November 2010, when an engine on a Qantas A380 exploded in mid flight and sent shrapnel through the wing. Inspections of the aircraft later revealed the existence of tiny cracks in the wing, prompting Airbus to advise a review of other planes.“This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to reduction of the structural integrity of the aeroplane,” Cologne-based EASA said in its directive. The wings for the A380 are built in Broughton in the UK, where Airbus employs more than 5,000 people. The structures are partly made from carbon fiber material and are transported by road and river to the sea from where they are shipped to the Airbus headquarters in Toulouse for final assembly.