Qantas Grounds Fleet After Incident

The decision taken by Australian airline Qantas to ground its fleet of A380s after one of the planes was forced to make an emergency landing has been welcomed by a leading Aviation law expert.

In a statement, the company revealed that the QF32 flight to Sydney was forced to return to its original departure point of Singapore after engine trouble was experienced during the journey.

No passengers or staff were injured during the emergency landing, but both the company and authorities are now investigating the issue.

Commenting on the course of action take by the airline, Clive Garner, the head of Irwin Mitchell’s Aviation law team, said: “While it is not yet clear what occurred, the reaction from Qantas is prudent and is welcomed. The A380 is designed to fly without one of its engines functioning but the reason for the failure clearly requires full investigation. Even more so as there are reports of debris falling from the aircraft.”

“The safety of passengers and indeed those on the ground must always come first in an event like this and the reports of significant debris falling from the aircraft are a matter of significant concern in their own right. Having said this we are relieved to hear that no one was harmed in this incident.

“I hope that the investigation into the cause of the problems on the A380 is carried out both thoroughly and swiftly. Engine problems can occur for a number of reasons and it is hoped that this is a one off issue rather than being indicative of a defect in design or maintenance.

“There are currently 37 Airbus A380 Aircraft in operation around the World.  Airbus Aircraft have been involved in a number of recent high profile accidents around the world. Irwin Mitchell is currently helping families of those who died in a number of these incidents.”