EASA orders urgent inspections of 16 Airbus A380s after wing cracks detected

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has ordered urgent inspections of 16 Airbus A380 aircraft after cracks were detected in wing structural components. Most affected aircraft belong to Emirates, while Qantas has one jet under maintenance. No immediate fleet-wide safety risk has been identified.

Mumbai: The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 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.

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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.