Industry news
Airbus wing safety checks ordered
Posted Mon, 23 Jan 2012
Airlines have been ordered to carry out safety checks after cracks were found in the wing brackets of an Airbus superjumbo jet.
All A380 jets will undergo inspection of their "wing rib feet" - the metal brackets inside the wing joining the ribs to its skin. The airworthiness directive, issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), calls for a "detailed visual inspection" of the brackets after Airbus spotted the cracks.
A total of seven airlines fly the 390 million dollar jets. Dubai's Emirates airline is the largest A380 operator and flies 20 of the aircraft. Airbus has manufactured 68 of the double-decker planes, which seat 525 people in three classes.
EASA said airlines will have between four days and six weeks to carry out the checks, beginning on January 24. The amount of time before the checks must be carried out will be determined based on how much time the plane has already spent in the air.
Copyright Press Association 2012