Singapore Airlines, which operates about 10 Trent 900 powered Airbus A380s, has also suspended flying operations with the type until it completes inspections on the aircraft following the Qantas inflight engine failure yesterday.
“Our engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce and aircraft manufacturer Airbus have advised us to conduct precautionary technical checks on our A380 aircraft, following today’s incident involving another operator’s A380,” an airline statement read. “Resulting from this development, Singapore Airlines will be delaying all flights operating our A380 aircraft. We will keep affected customers updated and more information will be provided once it is available.”
Only last Sunday did Singapore Airlines increase its A380 Singapore-Sydney services to double dailies.
Other A380 operators, Emirates, Air France and Lufthansa have announced no plans to ground their fleets yet, although Lufthansa will reportedly conduct checks on its three Trent 900 powered examples, the first of which was delivered in July. Emirates and Air France A380s use GP7200 turbofans built by the joint GE/P&W Engine Alliance.
