A380's riveting problem

The latest technical problems had occurred in the nose of the A380 aircraft, where faulty rivets had been discovered, the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) newspaper reported Friday.

Aluminum rivets, used in the plane's front body, appeared to be too weak to sustain large pressure, the newspaper said, adding that the European Air Safety Authority (EASA) was considering orders for the six most critical rivets to be replaced with parts made of stronger titanium.

FTD quotes an Airbus official who said that the European aircraft maker's own engineers had discovered the weak rivets back in October 2011, and that airlines flying the A380 were informed immediately.

"Replacing the rivets can be done within a matter of just three and a half hours," the Airbus official is quoted as saying.

Routine recall

According to information gathered by FTD, extreme circumstances such as a sudden drop in cabin pressure could cause the rivets to break, and subsequently the nose of the superjumbo to come off. 

The newspaper also said such recalls were routine business for EASA as the authority would order hundreds of safety checks on new aircraft and helicopters every year. However, any recall would tarnish the image of the aircraft manufacturer, according to the paper.

The faulty rivets are the third major flaw in Airbus's new superjumbo that has prompted EASA to order safety inspections.

Earlier this year, the appearance of tiny cracks in some of the planes' wings and the wings rib feet caused EASA to order checks on all of the 69 A380 superjumbos currently in service.

On Wednesday, Airbus CEO Tom Enders admitted that the manufacturer had made "a mistake" and would "understand the root causes of the problems."

"This plane is absolutely safe to fly," Enders insisted during a news conference at this week's Singapore Airshow.

Author: Uwe Hessler (dpa, AFP)
Editor: Sean Sinico