Asia-Pacific News
Qantas grounds A380 over wing cracks
Feb 8, 2012, 1:06 GMT
Sydney - Australia's Qantas Airways said Wednesday it had grounded an A380 after minor cracks were found on the wings during a routine inspection.
It expects the superjumbo to be back in service within a week and said the 36 hairline cracks did not compromised air safety.
The plane was grounded Sunday after checks revealed damage that Qantas said was the fault of manufacturer Airbus SAS.
A spokeswoman said the cracks are different from those found recently on other A380s, which prompted a European airworthiness directive.
The plane involved was the one that in January was delayed in Singapore for safety checks after encountering severe turbulence over India while on a flight from London to Sydney.
The spokeswoman said the damage to the A380 was 'not related to the turbulence.'
The plane is currently in Sydney, where engineers from Qantas and Airbus would repair what the spokeswoman described as 'cracking to some wing rib feet.'
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