On the ground is the best place for it, at this stage

We will fix it as quickly as possible. This is unfortunate, this is us. We screwed that up. Whatever the cost, we will fix it.

These were the words of Airbus CEO, Tom Enders, this weekend at the Singapore Airshow, where he vocally prayed to all the gods of wind and sky that this latest turn in the traumatic A380 saga would not affect Airbus’ credibility.

This frankly terrifying confession comes after a month of scrutiny of the European plane manufacturer after cracks were discovered on the wings of its giant flagship, the A380. Problems were also encountered in the Rolls Royce-produced turbine engines as far back as 2010 when a Qantas flight was downed with engine problems.

European aviation authorities have ordered every A380 in service to be checked for wing cracks, and other regions that fly it are likely to follow suit, particularly airlines in Asia, which is a target market for the craft. The A380 was launched to much fanfare in 2007, and remains the world’s largest passenger aircraft, able to carry well over 500 passengers. It has been plagued with design and production issues since its launch.

[Source: News24, CNBC]