On June 23 (local time), Airbus announced that it would inspect 16 A380 aircraft, of which 5 would be inspected immediately, after detecting cracks in an important part of the wings of Emirates and Qantas airlines.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency inspection order, requesting airlines to inspect the winged structures on affected aircraft after inspectors discovered cracks during periodic maintenance.
Cracks appear on a structural beam running along the wings and bearing most of the aerodynamic load throughout the flight.
Among the 16 aircraft inspected, 15 are operated by Emirates and 1 is operated by Qantas.
Five aircraft inspected immediately belong to Emirates, and will be inspected as early as June 24.
Airlines using the A380 include Emirates, Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Korean Air, Etihad Airways, ANA and Asiana Airlines.
Emirates operates the world's largest A380 fleet, accounting for more than half of the total number of operating super-large passenger aircraft.
