The world’s biggest passenger planes keep breaking down
However, with the capacity of carrying 485 passengers or more, delays caused by mechanical faults may be costly and can create a headache planning land. A Qantas Airways A380 in the flagship Sydney-London route was broken with fuel pump problems in Singapore on May 7. The flight to London was pushed back more than 24 hours and passengers in hotels.
Since the Qantas A380s re -enabled, it was at least the second fuel pump problem to delay QF1 in Singapore. More recently, Qantas passengers, who would leave Singapore in A380 for Sydney on July 14, have been postponed for days due to technical difficulties. Their plans to get them earlier were complex due to damage to another A380 in Sydney Airport when they hit one of an Aerobridge engines.
Airlines connected to the twin deck A380, with new, more fuel in terms of fuel, have the option to continue to fly.Credit: Getty Images
A British Airways A380, G-Xleb, recently spent more than 100 days in Manila. According to Flightradar24, after returning to London Heathrow in mid -June, it flew only seven days of the next 30. Nevertheless, British Airways, Iag SA, will start an internal upgrade program, including overhaulation of A380 cabins from next year, and will argue that the airline will continue to fly the plane for years.
For airlines using A380, there are small capacity alternatives. Boeing’s new 777x cannot make Airbus long -distance A350s fast enough. Meanwhile, the A380 operators remained with an out -of -production super Jumbo, which will only become more needy and more expensive. In the online aviation forums, some services gain a name for malfunction, cancellation or delays overnight.
Airbus said that A380 continues to run with high levels of operational reliability that stands by 99 percent for the global fleet in the last 12 months.
Loading
60,000 hours
Meanwhile, the A380s take space and manpower in workshops around the world and worse the shortage of repair facilities for a wider commercial fleet. According to aircraft mechanic Lufthansa Technik, a comprehensive control of the large plane can consume 60,000 hours of labor.
Qantas sends a pair of double -storey pairs to Dresden in Germany to overhaul; British Airways flies to Manila for repair; And Emirates, the world’s largest A380s operator, protects some in China.
The Airlines A380s parked in the California desert, Central Spain or Australia Outback, some of the last errors of the aircraft are caused by a long time on the ground.
On May 16, a flight for a flight from the European Union Aviation Security Agency ordered to change the emergency inflatable escape slides. The glued stitches were probably divided by exposure to moisture and heat during storage. Easa said the error may have fatal consequences.
On April 7, EASA ordered inspections in the A380s after there was a crack sealing substance in the fittings that attached the descent equipment to the wings. A directive made in April last year required the replacement of some landing gear axes after a rupture on a plane in the warehouse since 2020.
The future of the A380 was already doubtful when he stopped global trip in the beginning of the Covid-19 2020. A year ago, Airbus killed production after overwhelming sales.
When the Covid-19 withdrawn and the borders reopened, the A380 suddenly found a new purpose. The travel exploded and the carriers, including Singapore Airlines, Deutsche Lufthansa and Qantas, have once again adopted the unrivaled carrying power of the aircraft.
In a statement, British Airways A380’e “is a vital part of our long -distance fleet. Working closely with Airbus, we have seen annual improvements in his reliability.”
Qantas said that the aircraft “is an important part of our international network and we will continue to fly them for the coming years.
Boeing’s new 777x cannot make Airbus long -distance A350s fast enough.Credit: AP
Other A380 operators were reluctant to provide certain details. Asiana Airlines said, “It is difficult to disclose the problems related to airplane operations and maintenance.” Korea Air Lines said that “A380 holds the fleet according to all regulatory requirements and the highest safety standards in accordance with the producer directives”.
Singapore Airlines said 12 A380s are important for operations, but could not comment on the details ”. The company said that “Airbus and our suppliers are working closely” to ensure the ongoing reliability and service of our A380 fleet.
To be sure, the A380 still has fans. For spare parts, some A380s cannibalizes Emirates, plans to continue to fly the plane until the end of the next decade. Airline President Tim Clark compared the jet to a large vacuum cleaner that could strengthen passengers like another plane.
Loading
The last twist for a super jumbo, which is almost always separatist. Passengers still love the cavernous interiors and brave scale of the A380s. Airlines logistics needs-from long runways to extra large hangars-and wrestling with mechanical dramas.
Eddy Pienezek, President of Ishka’s consultancy, said supply chain restrictions increase the price of parts, service and motor repairs on all large aircraft.
Piienezek, “A380 and four engines, while this increase in maintenance costs has become even more noticeable,” he said.
