Airbus A380 Wing problems

[dinnydanny]

I've Read this news at BBC website..
Airbus has confirmed its flagship A380 planes could be grounded for up to eight weeks if work to repair cracks in their wings is done in one go.
The problem has cost Airbus more than 250m euros (£201.9m) in repair and service costs. Airbus has said it will not pay any compensation for revenue lost during repair work.
The problem poses no safety threat, according to Airbus. "The important thing is that these aircraft are safe to fly," added Mr Dubon.


As a future enhancement they are manufacturing the wings using a new type of aluminium..



My query :
They've said that the current A380 is still safe to fly .. But how safe it is ?
What are they going to do with the existing Airbus that has a wing crack problem ?
The repair costs are high & also it takes abt 8 weeks to repair the cracks ..
Aint it cost a heavy loss for the flyers as Airbus said that there is no compensation will be given for the loss incurred during this 8 weeks phase ?
What are the alternatives u think is possible to solve the existing wing crack problem in a short span of time ?
Pls share your views :)

[cockney steve]

Tinsnips, alloy sheet,poprivets and epoxy resin ! sorted :}

the time-delay is to make sure the Epoxy's set. :8

[jxk]

Now Steve, that's a catalyst for a whole new string of posts.

[Lancelot37]

Goods not fit for purpose comes to mind. Don't see how they can opt out of their responsibilities and not pay compensation for loss of income whilst the A/C are repaired.

Do different laws apply in different countries?

[dogtired2]

These "cracks" happend on the A310 in the early 80's. They are fractures at the 90 degree flanges where the vertical rib meets the horizontal section bolted through the skin. The 310s were repaired and had a full service life thereafter. Then titanium reinforcings were bolted to the rib skin. Very time consuming "concession" but operationally the only physical penalty was a minute reduction in fuel capacity and slight increase in weight. Don't know how they are getting away without compensation though.

[glum]

A cleverly worded contract i suspect!

[Lancelot37]

Do you mean a clause such as "Airbus will take no responsibility for the airworthiness of its aircraft and will not accept claims for bad design or build?"

[bvcu]

They're a company with shareholders , its the public line to stop them dumping their shares , and its the starting point for negotiations with the owners . Bet they will be paying compensation but it wont be called that ! Discounts on future orders or all sorts of other things !

[matkat]

Had the same issue several years ago with a CFM56 on a B737NG we had to ground the aircraft to remove the engine for a shop investigation due to high oil pressure,the warranty covered the engine removal/replacement and shop work but did not cover loss of revenue, after all an operator could claim any amount to cover that with no really clarification or proof of income lost.

[dinnydanny]

Lance.. Nope.. I meant that Airbus just wont take responsibility for the loss incurred for the flyers( as they cant fly.Hence No revenue incurred ) during these 8 weeks of inspection period the wings..

[dinnydanny]

Considering A380 wing problems , do u people think that its going to be a major concern for passengers about having a safe flight in A380?
Or flyers going to just ignore this thinking that safety precautions would be done & its
safe to fly in A380 ?

[lomapaseo]

Considering A380 wing problems , do u people think that its going to be a major concern for passengers about having a safe flight in A380?
Or flyers going to just ignore this thinking that safety precautions would be done & its
safe to fly in A380 ?




A typical passengers response would be

what's an A380? is that one of those big B747 types?

I know my airline ABC is safe because my wife's brother has a neighbor next door to him who works as a baggage handler for them

[Beeline]

Dinny,

The rib feet cracks were initially discovered when an inspection team found them repairing the Qantas A380 in Singapore.

This aforementioned A380 is testament to the structural integrity of the Airframe under a potentially catastrophic incident of the engine blowing itself to smithereens!

The cracked feet are only in a number of the Ribs inside the wing, the majority of which are not the material specification that is causing the problem.

The issue thankfully is an easily rectified production process change and is not a horrendous problem with the design of the wing causing unnecessary stresses.

IMHO from someone who certifies the A380, safe to fly and fly on.