Singapore Airlines grounds three A380s

[News_Editor]

Singapore Airlines grounds three A380s

2010-11-10 21:34:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

SINGAPORE (BNO NEWS) -- Singapore Airlines on Wednesday announced that it will be taking precautions and replace engines in three of its 11 Airbus A380 superjumbo jetliners because of engine problems.

The announcement comes a week after a Qantas A380 aircraft operating flight 32 from Singapore to Sydney experienced an engine issue soon after take off and returned to Singapore. Debris from flight 32 fell on Indonesia's Batam Island, near Singapore, after residents reported hearing a loud explosion.

The three A380s are currently in Britain and Australia, but they will be flown back to Singapore to carry out the engine replacements after inspections turned up oil stains in them. Another eight A380 aircraft, which were also inspected, had no reported problems.

"We apologize to our customers for flight disruptions that may result and we seek their understanding," Singapore Airlines' spokesperson Nicholas Ionides said.

Nonetheless, the airline company said it will continue to work with the Airbus A380.

"There is no cause for us not to take the remaining eight," Singapore Airlines' chief executive Chew Choon Seng said. "Just because a car is recalled does not mean you can't use it in the meantime. We would not fly the planes unless we are confident they are airworthy."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-11-10

[trogers]

Was the A380 rushed? Memories of the Comet come to mind.

[tw25rw]

Was the A380 rushed? Memories of the Comet come to mind.

It was several years late. This was one engine fault that didn't occur in testing.

[geriatrickid]

"Just because a car is recalled does not mean you can't use it in the meantime. We would not fly the planes unless we are confident they are airworthy."

Ouch. Not the brightest of comments to come from a rep of one of the world's best airlines. That comment will not promote confidence and isn't typical of SQ's usual behaviour. The engine replacements are the result of the The European Aviation Safety Agency Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) 2010-0236-E requiring operators of the implicated Rolls Royce Trent engines to perform inspections of their engines.

Although there will be extra scrutiny placed on these planes for the forseeable future, I for one will not be flying on the the A380 and will stick to B777s with non RR sourced engines. I also avoid MD80/88s and AB340. I think many people will be just like me until this matter is resolved.

[bkkjames]

I wonder how many Emirates are grounding?

[tw25rw]

I wonder how many Emirates are grounding?

None AFAIK. They don't need to.

[Spee]

Was the A380 rushed? Memories of the Comet come to mind.

It was several years late. This was one engine fault that didn't occur in testing.

IIRC, the Comet had serious structural design deficiencies. There is nothing to indicate that this is the case with the A380. As I suggested in an earlier post, if anything, the incident and supporting videos are a testament to the structural integrity of the airframe. BTW, how can an aircraft be considered rushed when it was late getting to market by a couple of years?

[tw25rw]

Was the A380 rushed? Memories of the Comet come to mind.

It was several years late. This was one engine fault that didn't occur in testing.

IIRC, the Comet had serious structural design deficiencies. There is nothing to indicate that this is the case with the A380. As I suggested in an earlier post, if anything, the incident and supporting videos are a testament to the structural integrity of the airframe. BTW, how can an aircraft be considered rushed when it was late getting to market by a couple of years?

The comet was built by a company which only had experience of propeller driven aircraft which flew at relatively low altitude. The industry learnt from that disaster. Hence you never see a jet airliner with windows with corners.

[tartempion]

I for one will not be flying on the the A380 and will stick to B777s with non RR sourced engines. I also avoid MD80/88s and AB340. I think many people will be just like me until this matter is resolved.

I hope you also won't dare driving your car, especially on Thai roads

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Engine maker Rolls-Royce Group PLC on Friday said it would replace a component in Trent 900 engines following its investigation into the cause of an engine failure last week on an Airbus A380 aircraft, and warned that its earnings growth would slow as a result of the problem.

Seems they found cause and solution to the problem.

Edit: Oh, I worked for a cargo airline, all 747/200F and now 747/400F fleet, do you think we never replaced a failed engine???

[trogers]

Was the A380 rushed? Memories of the Comet come to mind.

It was several years late. This was one engine fault that didn't occur in testing.

IIRC, the Comet had serious structural design deficiencies. There is nothing to indicate that this is the case with the A380. As I suggested in an earlier post, if anything, the incident and supporting videos are a testament to the structural integrity of the airframe. BTW, how can an aircraft be considered rushed when it was late getting to market by a couple of years?

The comet was built by a company which only had experience of propeller driven aircraft which flew at relatively low altitude. The industry learnt from that disaster. Hence you never see a jet airliner with windows with corners.

There used to be a saying - The hurrier you are, the behindier you get. Or, when you are already behind in schedule the more pressure you face to get it done.

A first or a leap in technology, as in the Comet experience. A380 is also a first in relation to weight to thrust. The structural airframe to a much higher thrust engine to support the increase in weight of the plane.