Airbus Cracks: Aircraft Engineers say World’s Largest Commercial Planes Should be Grounded
Australian aircraft engineers say all Airbus A380s -- the world's largest passenger aircraft -- must be grounded after both Singapore Airlines and Qantas found cracks in the wings of their super-jumbos.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) sounded the alarm this week on one of the world's most iconic passenger aircraft designs, arguing that it suffers from a design flaw.
"We can't continue to gamble with people's lives and allow those aircraft to fly around and hope that they make it until their four-yearly inspection," said Steve Purvinas, secretary of the ALAEA.
Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Airbus admitted they had discovered cracks, but maintained that the aircraft were safe.
The cracks in brackets inside the wings "do not pose a safety risk," the plane builder said Monday. According to Airbus, the "hairline" cracks are on a small L-shaped bracket inside the wing. The company reiterated that the European aviation safety authority supported their decision to deal with the cracks during the aircrafts' routine maintenance every four years.
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Australian aircraft engineers say all Airbus A380s -- the world's largest passenger aircraft -- must be grounded after both Singapore Airlines and Qantas found cracks in the wings of their super-jumbos.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALAEA) sounded the alarm this week on one of the world's most iconic passenger aircraft designs, arguing that it suffers from a design flaw.
"We can't continue to gamble with people's lives and allow those aircraft to fly around and hope that they make it until their four-yearly inspection," said Steve Purvinas, secretary of the ALAEA.
Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and Airbus admitted they had discovered cracks, but maintained that the aircraft were safe.
The cracks in brackets inside the wings "do not pose a safety risk," the plane builder said Monday. According to Airbus, the "hairline" cracks are on a small L-shaped bracket inside the wing. The company reiterated that the European aviation safety authority supported their decision to deal with the cracks during the aircrafts' routine maintenance every four years.
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