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Engineers call for grounding of A380 after cracks found in wings
The Daily Mail reports this evening that cracks found in the wing sections of several Airbus A380 jumbo jets have led to deep concern among a group of Australian aircraft engineers. Calling for the grounding of all A380 aircraft, the group highlighted recent faults uncovered in the wing structures of several Singapore Airlines and Qantas jets in their complaint.Acknowledging the cracks, the airlines and manufacturer claim that the faults are in non-critical sections of the wings and that an easy detection and repair method has been identified. None of the seven current carriers that operate the aircraft are planning on taking the equipment out of service.
Nevertheless, news of the cracks is a significant concern for Airbus, which has been struggling to compete in a market that's quickly moving towards smaller, more fuel efficient equipment. With the earliest delivery of their next generation aircraft slated for
[flickr image via Jlcwalker]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Paul Jan 9th 2012 10:21PM
Airbus' "next generation" plane (A350XWB) isn't really next generation at all, but the same generation. It will pretty much use the same modern technologies as the A380. The distinguishing factor between the A380 and the A350XWB is that the aircraft are meant for different market capacities. They compete against Boeing aircraft, not each other.
You could argue that the A350XWB is replacing the older A330 models, and you would be correct - but that bears no correlation to this article.
Grant Martin Jan 9th 2012 10:28PM
Apologies, I was referring to the composite fuselage when I meant next generation and didn't know that there was a canon to follow. Thanks for the correction Paul.
Paul Jan 9th 2012 10:26PM
And one more thing, the A350 has been delayed until (at least) 2014. http://www.compositesworld.com/news/airbus-a350-final-assembly-delayed-a340-discontinued
Grant Martin Jan 9th 2012 10:31PM
Got it, I'll make the update. I used the (apparently outdated) Wikipedia source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Airbus_A350_orders
captainsensible Jan 10th 2012 6:58AM
If it's not Boeing, I'm not going.
ron rocco Jan 16th 2012 1:08AM
Please don't say the "small cracks" are not significant in the A330. They would not be acceptable on a new aircraft coming out of the construction hanger...so why are they insignificant on used A330s?
I agree with a prior comment, that "if it's not a BOEING, I AIN'T GOING."
Metal fatigue is what I think of and I don't want that on my mind for the trip when I have a choice. Be real, be honest, listen to the engineers.