Qantas searching for cause of A380 engine failure

Airlines around the world will be desperately trying to get the all clear for their Airbus 380s after one of the engines on a Qantas flight malfunctioned resulting in an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport yesterday. Qantas has now taken all six of its superjumbos out of service while engineers from the airline, as well as Rolls-Royce and Airbus, try to figure out just what went wrong.

Owners of the second largest fleet on the planet, after Emirates, Singapore Airlines says it has conducted full mechanical checks and will be continuing to fly all 11 aircraft. Lufthansa has also confirmed that it will be able to conduct the required maintenance checks without disrupting services.

Olivia Worth, a spokeswoman for Qantas, said engineers had been working through the night to establish the cause of a serious incident in one of the A380 engines. The aircraft was able to land safely in Singapore just 15 minutes after take off. That it was able to do so is a testament to the engineering, according to aerospace engineering expert, John Page. After seeing pictures of the damaged engine, Mr Page said that 20 years ago such an incident might have resulted in a far more devastating outcome.

Although Qantas is still to make an official comment, at least one passenger claims to have heard a loud bang. Photographs taken of the damaged engine also appear to show extensive damage to its outer casing.

Qantas is expected to give an update on the situation sometime later today.

Related Posts

No Related Posts