Fix on Emirates' A380 wings now underway

Four MRO providers have been contracted to install the permanent full-life wing-rib fix on the fleet and work will continue until the end of next year.

The four include Abu Dhabi’s ADAT – a Mubadala subsidiary – as well as Ameco Beijing, Sabena Technics and EADS subsidiary Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW).

Work was supposed to have begun a month ago but delays to the 59 further deliveries of the superjumbo meant that Emirates needed to keep the existing A380s flying.

The European Aviation Safety Agency had ordered modifications to the A380 wings after cracks on some of the airliners in service were discovered 18 months ago.

The cracks, which did not directly affect the airworthiness of the airliner, were on brackets that attach the A380's wing ribs - the frames that run along the width of the wing - to the wing's metal skin. The cracks were caused by stresses generated during manufacturing and exacerbated by the flexing of the wings during flight.