Airbus says minor cracks have been discovered in the wings of ''a limited number'' of A380 superjumbos. The company insists that the safe operation of the A380 fleet is not affected.
Tiny cracks have appeared on wings of five aircraft including two in service, one with Qantas and another with Singapore Airlines.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the first crack was spotted on a Qantas A380 undergoing a $US130 million repair job in Singapore after an engine blowout in November 2010.
At first, the discovery was believed to be related to the explosion on an inboard Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, but Airbus says that is not the case.
The cause of the cracks is still to be determined but an initial assessment points to an issue in the way the wings of the A380 were constructed.
Seven European and Asian airlines now operate the A380 and the company has 243 orders from 18 carriers. The plane has 525 seats.
