Europeans order more Airbus wing crack checks

PARIS – European air safety regulators Wednesday ordered inspections of the entire fleet of Airbus A380 jets for tiny cracks in a wing component, extending a directive that had applied to only about a third of the 68 superjumbos in service.

The news that the cracks, which began surfacing on dozens of wing brackets late last year, could be more widespread comes at a time when Airbus’ chief rival, Boeing, is also grappling with what it said Tuesday were minor defects on its 787 “Dreamliner.”

The broadening of the A380 checks followed a decision by Qantas Airways of Australia to ground one of its planes this week after dozens of cracks were found on wing brackets during a maintenance check. That aircraft, one of 12 A380s that Qantas flies, had encountered heavy turbulence during a flight in early January, but it had not come under the scope of the regulators’ previous order, which was issued Jan. 20.

The European Aviation Safety Agency said all seven airlines that operate the A380 would now be required to inspect their planes for the hairline fissures within the next six weeks.

Since late last year, two types of cracks have been identified in L-shaped brackets that connect the aluminum skin of the A380’s enormous wings to its structural ribs. About 40 brackets are on each rib, with a total of 2,000 brackets spanning each wing.

Thomas Woodward, a Qantas spokesman, said the cracks the airline found on its A380 were unrelated to the turbulence incident and had been traced to the manufacturing issues identified by Airbus.

On Tuesday, Boeing said it had identified a production problem affecting the rear fuselage of the 787 but also stressed that it posed no short-term safety issue.