Airbus to inspect all A380 superjumbos for wing cracks

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has ordered all 67 Airbus A380 superjumbo planes currently in operation to be checked.

Airbus said the cracks were not an immediate threat to safety and that repairs would be carried out if any damage was found.

Last month, EASA ordered checks of 20 A380 jets worldwide.

An EASA spokesman said: "In view of the outcome of those checks, it was decided to expand them to the entire fleet currently in operation."

Following the earlier checks, Qantas Airways, Australia's largest carrier, said on Wednesday it had suspended the use of one of its Airbus A380 passenger jets for as long as a week after discovering cracks in key wing components.

Singapore Airlines, which took delivery of the first A380, has also repaired some of its A380s and has put the jets back into operation; Kazinform cites BBC.

To learn more go to www.bbc.co.uk