Glitch grounds Airbus A380
19 February 2008A defective fuel pump led to the cancellation of a Singapore Airlines flight using an Airbus A380 in the first instance of the superjumbo being grounded by a technical glitch.
The carrier confirmed that the problem was detected when the plane's engine was started as it prepared to take off from Singapore on a flight to Sydney.
Travel plans of a number of people were disrupted following the problem, as the airline had to switch to using a Boeing 747, which seats fewer people than the A380, meaning that some people may have relied on their travel insurance to cover the cost of their displacement.
In a statement released to the Associated Press, Singapore Airlines said that the defect took longer to fix than the average technical issue.
Some 418 passengers were due to travel on the flight, 70 of whom had to be transferred to alternative services the following day.
The airline's statement said: "The delay was most unfortunate, because to date, the aircraft has been operating with very high reliability, the highest of any aircraft type to enter service.
"It is, of course, to be expected that technical issues will occur from time to time."
Singapore Airlines currently uses the A380 to fly to Sydney and will begin using the aircraft on its Heathrow services in March.