The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said the world's largest and most advanced passenger airliner was 'absolutely' safe to fly but a probe is now underway
Graphic showing the location of the wing rib brackets in an A380 superjumbo, which are at the centre of concerns over cracking. Photograph: Airbus
Airbus has launched an internal investigation into how cracks developed inside the wings of the A380, after emergency safety checks were extended to the entire fleet of superjumbos.
The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said the world's largest and most advanced passenger airliner was "absolutely" safe to fly but a probe is now underway.
Speaking at the Singapore Airshow, he said the company would ensure that the flaws, created during the manufacturing process, are not repeated with the A350 mid-sized jetliner project. "Are we learning from this? Absolutely. We are taking lessons from the A380 programme for the A350 programme."
He added: "We have a thorough investigation underway on how we could make these mistakes in the first place and to eradicate the sources of the mistakes."
Enders declined to comment on a report that expanding the checking regime to all 67 A380s in service would cost Airbus €100m (£83m), because it is liable for losses incurred by airlines when the airplanes are temporarily taken out of service and, if necessary, fitted with new parts.
"We made a little mistake here and we are repairing it as quickly as possible. This plane is absolutely safe to fly," said Enders.
The A380's biggest customer is Dubai-based Emirates, which operates 20 of the 525-seater jets, followed by Singapore Airlines with 15, Qantas with 12, Lufthansa eight, Air France six, Korean Air five and China Southern two.
The problem has been located in brackets that attach the A380s wing ribs - oval-shaped frames that run along the width of the entire wing - to the wing's metal skin.
Issuing a new directive this month, the European Aviation Safety Agency said: "This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to reduction of the structural integrity of the aeroplane." Airbus believes the problem is related to the design and manufacture of the wings, which are built at a state-of-the-art plant in Broughton, Wales.
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/15/airbus-a380-cracks-investigation?newsfeed=true
The Airbus chief executive, Tom Enders, said the world's largest and most advanced passenger airliner was "absolutely" safe to fly but a probe is now underway.
Speaking at the Singapore Airshow, he said the company would ensure that the flaws, created during the manufacturing process, are not repeated with the A350 mid-sized jetliner project. "Are we learning from this? Absolutely. We are taking lessons from the A380 programme for the A350 programme."
He added: "We have a thorough investigation underway on how we could make these mistakes in the first place and to eradicate the sources of the mistakes."
Enders declined to comment on a report that expanding the checking regime to all 67 A380s in service would cost Airbus €100m (£83m), because it is liable for losses incurred by airlines when the airplanes are temporarily taken out of service and, if necessary, fitted with new parts.
"We made a little mistake here and we are repairing it as quickly as possible. This plane is absolutely safe to fly," said Enders.
The A380's biggest customer is Dubai-based Emirates, which operates 20 of the 525-seater jets, followed by Singapore Airlines with 15, Qantas with 12, Lufthansa eight, Air France six, Korean Air five and China Southern two.
The problem has been located in brackets that attach the A380s wing ribs - oval-shaped frames that run along the width of the entire wing - to the wing's metal skin.
Issuing a new directive this month, the European Aviation Safety Agency said: "This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to reduction of the structural integrity of the aeroplane." Airbus believes the problem is related to the design and manufacture of the wings, which are built at a state-of-the-art plant in Broughton, Wales.
source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/15/airbus-a380-cracks-investigation?newsfeed=true
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