Qantas took delivery of its seventh Airbus A380 aircraft over the weekend after a seven-day delay.
The hold up was due to one of the Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines which needed replacing after it was discovered that it featured the same defect responsible for the midair explosion and emergency landing of one of the carrier's superjumbos recently.
An Airbus spokesperson said: “It was a minor issue. A one-off problem was identified, and the issue has been rectified.”
On November 4, 2010, Qantas was forced to make an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport while en route to Sydney due to engine failure. The incident led to the grounding of Qantas’ entire A380 fleet. After rigorous investigation and rectification by the engine manufacturer, Qantas returned two aircraft into service, according to plans laid out by its chief executive officer Alan Joyce (see story here).
Airbus will be delivering another A380 to Qantas by the end of this year. Qantas has ordered a total of 20 A380 aircraft.
For more information, visit www.qantas.com.au
Alisha Haridasani
