Qantas says A380 delay unrelated to wing cracks
QANTAS Airways has played down a steering issue that forced an Airbus A380 to twice abandon departure before taking off from Heathrow airport on Saturday, saying it was unrelated to wing cracks that have led Europe’s air safety officials to order global checks on the superjumbo.
Qantas said the plane, due to fly from London to Singapore, was travelling at a very slow speed when the decision was made to return to bay.
“It was due to the steering issue. It has no relation to the cracks in the wing ribs at all,” Qantas spokeswoman Courtney Treak said. “Our engineers were able to fix the issue, so we don’t have any further concerns.”
A spokesman for manufacturer Airbus declined to comment, saying that only the airline could comment on operational matters.