* EU agency issues fleet-wide inspection order

* Airbus says safe A380 operation is not at stake

* Lufthansa says it has flexibility to schedule repairs

By Tim Hepher and Laurence Frost

KUALA LUMPUR/PARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) – European air
safety officials extended checks for Airbus A380 wing cracks to
the entire superjumbo fleet on Wednesday and said the widespread
defects could pose a safety risk if left unremedied.

The move to inspect all 68 A380s in service came as Qantas
Airways grounded one of its planes for up to a week
following the discovery of 36 separate cracks in wing
parts.

The new measures by the European Air Safety Agency (EASA)
“reflect the results of a first round of checks, which found
cracks in almost all of the planes inspected,” spokesman
Dominique Fouda said.

“This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to
a reduction of the structural integrity of the aeroplane,” the
EU agency said in its directive to airlines.

By signalling that the flaws are thought to be structural
and widespread, the fleet-wide inspection order will refocus
attention on faults recently found in flagship jets from both of
the world’s dominant aircraft makers.

Boeing and Airbus, a division of European Aeronautic
Defence & Space Co., maintain that their newest planes
are safe to fly after problems were caught at an early stage.

Under the new directive, first reported by Reuters earlier
on Wednesday, the seven airlines currently operating A380s must
carry out Airbus-sanctioned checks and preliminary repairs on
every plane before its 1,300th flight.

The first round of inspections, which covered one third of
the fleet, applied only to jets that had exceeded that number of
flights. Aircraft already approaching or beyond the threshold
must now be checked and repaired within weeks.

The damaged L-shaped parts, which fix the wing skins to
their underlying frame, are “not a primary load-bearing
structure,” Airbus spokesman Stefan Schaffrath said.

Cracks have been discovered in a “handful” of the 4,000 such
brackets on each aircraft, he added. “The safe operation of this
aircraft is not at stake.”

Inspections had initially focused on 20 aircraft operated by
Singapore Airlines, Air France and Dubai’s
Emirates – which had logged the most A380 flights in the four
years since the world’s largest passenger plane entered service.

They will now be also be carried out on superjumbos flown by
Qantas, China Southern, Korean Air and
Lufthansa.

Qantas grounded one of its 12 A380s after the discovery of
two-centimetre (0.8 inch) cracks that were “traced back to a
manufacturing issue”, the Australian carrier said on Wednesday.

It was during lengthy repairs to another Qantas plane that
the A380 problems first surfaced, following a 2010 engine
explosion that tore open one wing.

Lufthansa’s longest-serving A380 has made about 900 flights,
company spokesman Michael Lamberty said. “That means we have
room to manoeuvre to carry out checks one by one, as part of
normal maintenance.”

GLITCHES

Aircraft are designed with multiple safeguards to protect
against the extreme stresses and temperature variations
encountered during flight.

But premature glitches have recently embarrassed both Airbus
and Boeing, raising fears of a consumer backlash of the kind
that crippled Toyota when the Japanese car maker
ordered millions of safety recalls in 2009-11.

While airlines have yet to report any fall in bookings
related to the A380 cracks, several have said they are keeping a
close watch on ticket sales.

“It’s important to note that these cracks are very small and
will be monitored by the airlines,” said Philippa Oldham, a
transport specialist at Britain’s Institute of Mechanical
Engineers. “They are unlikely to affect aircraft operation.”

Boeing this week reported a manufacturing flaw on its 787
Dreamliner, the world’s first commercial jet built mostly from
composites, nine weeks after entry into service. Engineers found
some delamination, or separation of baked composite fibres, in
parts of the rear fuselage.

Jim Albaugh, the head of Boeing’s commercial aircraft
division, has said the problem would delay initial deliveries
without undermining the company’s full-year target.

UNUSUALLY EARLY PROBLEMS

Airbus has staked its future on the 12 billion euro ($16
billion) A380 programme and is anxious to prevent publicity
about the cracks denting confidence in its aircraft. With a list
price of $390 million, the 525-seater is popular with passengers
but has not sold as well as its designers expected.

“These are not critical parts affecting safety any time
soon,” said Jean-Pierre Casamayou, editor-in-chief of Air et
Cosmos, a French aerospace publication.

The Airbus and Boeing problems are nonetheless “worrying
because it means neither manufacturer has been on top of
everything,” he said. “Both planes were two-to-three years late,
and yet we’re seeing these unusually early problems.”

The wing cracks have overshadowed efforts by France-based
Airbus to stabilise Europe’s largest industrial project, which
is not expected to turn a profit before 2015 after running
significantly over budget.

The aircraft maker now faces an additional bill for wing
checks and repairs, as well as compensation for customers’ lost
business.

Airbus and Boeing invested heavily in their newest models,
which reflect a divergence of strategy over the $100 billion
jetliner market. Boeing bet on lighter planes to save fuel and
open new long-haul routes, while Airbus initially put its faith
in larger jets to meet steep traffic growth.

Airbus later began developing the carbon-fibre A350 to
compete with the hot-selling 787, while Boeing is also updating
its 747 jumbo to challenge the A380. Airbus has said it aims to
deliver 30 of the double-deckers this year.