Friday, Nov 05, 2010
Gulf News
Dubai Emirates yesterday said it has no plans to ground its fleet of 13 A380s currently in operation, after a Qantas flight with 459 people on board made an emergency landing in Singapore due to engine failure.
“All of our A380s are operating as scheduled. Emirates has 13 A380s in operation, powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 engines. The safety of our passengers and crew is always of paramount importance,” an Emirates spokesperson said in a statement sent to Gulf News.
Qantas grounded its Airbus A380 fleet after one of the superjumbo jets blew out an engine yesterday, before making an emergency landing in Singapore.
It was the most serious midair incident involving the A380, since it debuted in October 2007 with Singapore Airlines flying it to Sydney — the same route that Qantas flight QF32 was flying yesterday. Witnesses aboard the plane and on the ground reported blasts.
Officials in Indonesia said the engine trouble could not have been related to recent volcanic eruptions of Mount Merapi, some 800 miles (1,300 km) to the east.
Singapore Airlines said there will be flight delays as it conducts technical checks on its A380s. German flag carrier Lufthansa and Air France said they had no plans to ground their A380 jets.
— With inputs from AP
See also Page 14
EPA
Engine blowout
The Qantas A380 made a safe emergency landing at Changi airport, Singapore, yesterday following an engine blast that spread debris over Indonesia’s Batam island. Qantas Airways said flight QF32 bound for Sydney had just taken off from Changi airport with 433 passengers and 26 crew on board when it was forced to return.
qantas incident
By Samia Badih?Staff Reporter
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