Wing fault could ground A380 planes for up to eight weeks

THE makers of the world's largest passenger jet, to which Rolls-Royce supplies engines, has said that each aircraft could be grounded for up to eight weeks if work to repair cracks in their wings is done in one go.

Source Derby Evening Telegraph

June 12, 2012

But Airbus said it expected most A380 customers to do the repairs step by step, as part of regular required maintenance checks.

Airbus has been dogged by the problem with its superjumbo A380s, which have seen hairline cracks appear on some of the brackets used to link the wing to the plane.

Each A380, to which Rolls-Royce supplies Derby-built Trent 900 engines, has 4,000 such brackets.

The problem has cost Airbus more than £200 million in repair and service costs. Air-bus has said it will not pay any compensation for revenue lost during repair work. The plane-maker said the problem posed no safety threat and that the aircraft were safe to fly.

It will begin building A380 wings with a new type of aluminium from next year, meaning aircraft delivered from 2014 onwards will not have the defect.