Around one in two of all Rolls-Royce engines in service on Airbus A380 aircraft are to be replaced after one broke apart during flight earlier this month, Australia's Qantas Airways said today. A Qantas A380 flying from London to Sydney with 466 people on board was forced to make an emergency landing after a stopover in Singapore two weeks ago, when one of its four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines blew out.
The airline has since grounded its six A380s since the incident, while its, rival Singapore Airlines, with 11 Rolls-Royce powered A380s, has had to cancel several flights in order to remove some engines and replace them. "We've been talking to Airbus and Rolls-Royce and we understand that the number [of engines to be replaced] is around 40," Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce told reporters. "We've already replaced three, and there could be more."
There are 37 A380s, which have a list price of $350m each, in operation worldwide. Some 21 of those are powered by the Trent 900. Airlines have sought to replace existing engines with newer versions since the emergency landing on 4 November. Joyce declined to confirm an Australian newspaper report on Thursday that his airline's six A380s were likely to remain grounded until December or later.
But he did confirm Qantas wanted Airbus to replace some of Qantas's existing Rolls-Royce engines with new engines from aircraft still in production on the assembly line. The problem with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine is thought to develop over time, so the new engines should not present safety issues and will give Rolls-Royce time to come up with a permanent solution. Airbus has orders for almost 200 further A380s.
The Guardian
