According to Airbus, A380 wing cracks (“non-critical wing rib-skin attachments on a limited number of A380 aircraft”) are a non-issue because they “do not make the planes unsafe.”
The plan is to use scheduled 4-year maintenance checks called “D-Checks” to screen planes for signs of cracking.
We are just curious if this was a manufacturing error or a design flaw. And even if it is not a safety issue, the idea of just waiting around till a scheduled check seems chancy at best.
Austrian Airlines flight OS-836 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Bucharest, Romania, on May 8th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Vienna, Austria, was diverted due to a technical problem.
The plane landed safely. All passengers and crew members remained unharmed.
American Airlines flight US-705/AA-705 had to divert and make an emergency landing at London’s Heathrow Airport, on September 15.
The Airbus A330-200, heading from Frankfurt, Germany to Charlotte, North Carolina, had to be diverted after the crew reported cabin flooding due to fresh water leakage from one of the lavatories.
The plane landed safely.
None of the 194 passengers was hurt.
Eurowings flight EW-9224 had to divert and make an emergency landing at Hamburg Airport, Germany, on May 12th.
The Airbus A319-100 flying from Dusseldorf, Germany, to Gothenburg, Sweden, had to divert after the captain’s windshield cracked.
The plane landed safely.
All 98 passengers remained safe and were rebooked in other flights.
Fatigue cracking not as a result of stress but because of a manufacturing issue causes widespread concern. The wing problem may cost Airbus a hundred million euros. Airbus will have to compensate airlines for the (estimated) five days time planes will be out of service for remediation.
Germania flight ST-4212 had to return and make an emergency landing at Münster Osnabrück International Airport, Germany, on May 4th.
The Airbus A319-100 flying to Palma, Spain, had to return due to loss of cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely.
All 129 passengers and 5 crew members remained safe.
EasyJet flight U2-8943 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Lyon, France, on January 6th.
The Airbus A320-200 plane heading from Gatwick Airport, England, to Grenoble, France, was diverted due to smoke in the cockpit.
The plane landed safely. All one hundred and seventy passengers and five crew members remained unharmed.
