Airbus A380 aircraft operated by Emirates airline and Qantas are to undergo urgent inspections by the European aircraft manufacturer after cracks were discovered in key wing structures.
The EU Aviation Safety Agency has issued an emergency airworthiness directive, ordering inspections of 16 superjumbo aircraft in total, 15 of which are operated by Emirates.
The aviation safety agency said cracks found on certain aircraft could reduce the structural strength of the wing if left undetected.
For Emirates, the inspections will commence “within the next 48 hours”, an airline representative told The National on Tuesday, adding that any work required will be “carried out before releasing aircraft to service”.
“Emirates will comply and carry out the inspections required in accordance with the airworthiness directive. We remain in close contact with Airbus and the relevant authorities to minimise any disruption to the operating schedule,” the Emirates representative said.
The Dubai-based airline operates the largest A380 fleet in the world, with 116 superjumbos in its fleet, which is more than half of all active A380 jets flying today.
While five A380s are required to undergo immediate inspections, the remaining 11 will be checked within 25 flight cycles, with repairs directed by Airbus, according to the Easa. Results must be reported within seven days, with possible further actions to follow, it said.
An Airbus representative told The National that "depending on the inspection results, Airbus will assess with Easa whether repairs are necessary or if the aircraft can return to commercial service".
"Following the December 2025 airworthiness directive, mandating inspections on the mid spars, specific findings prompted Airbus to inform Easa and to recommend inspections on a sub-population of A380s," the representative said.
He added that all aircraft with similar histories were identified. "There are five aircraft. Airbus is supporting the inspection of these five aircraft."
Past issues
The A380 has faced wing-related issues in the past, prompting regulators to mandate inspections in 2012 and again in later years as aircraft aged and accumulated flight hours. The latest directive focuses on wing mid spars – the primary structural beams of an aircraft wing, running lengthwise from the fuselage to the wingtip – a different area from some of the wing structures targeted in previous inspections.
"This is a vital component, and one that if cracks are found, must be repaired quickly to continue safe flights," Ernest Arvai, aviation analyst at US-based AirInsight, told The National.
"If problems are found, it is likely that those aircraft would be subject to a several-month maintenance process for repair or replacement of that key wing spar. This could ground multiple aircraft just at a time where the OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] are having difficulty keeping up with aircraft orders, with deliveries running late."
However, Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at Strategic Aero Research, says the latest problem is "not a safety issue".
"These aren't the first cracks the A380 wings have suffered in service. But it's evident the capital outlay on maintaining the ageing A380 fleet is money that could be better spent elsewhere," he told The National. "However, this is a problem that needs fixing while their service life still has capability."
This isn’t the first time for wing issues on the A380, as prior incidents with structural cracks and slat delamination have occurred, and been fixed, said Mr Arvai.
"Unfortunately, fixes typically mean taking an airplane out of service for several months, which does impact schedules and profitability," he said.
In May, Emirates debuted its first retrofitted two-class A380 with a Premium Economy cabin. The airline began introducing its refurbished A380s in 2023, featuring four cabin classes, including first class, with refreshed interiors and premium economy cabins on the aircraft deployed on the Dubai-to-London Heathrow route.
It was part of the airline’s multibillion-dollar retrofit programme, the largest of its kind in aviation history. By the end of the year, 15 of the airline’s two-class A380 aircraft are expected to undergo the conversion.
Emirates-Airbus relationship
Emirates was the backbone of the A380 programme, keeping the superjumbo in production for years. Airbus officially ended production in 2021. Emirates also took delivery of the final A380 ever produced.
"The past decade has seen Emirates exploit the A380 to its advantage thanks to capacity growth in key markets like the UK, US, Australia and Europe that has propelled its organic growth," Mr Ahmad said.
"In some ways, the fates of Airbus and Emirates have been long intertwined with the A380, but that's not the case for the future as the airline preps to gravitate to the Boeing 777X."
