'Minor' leaks on Singapore A380 engines

2011-03-03 13:00

Singapore - Singapore Airlines (SIA) said on Thursday it had discovered five cases of oil leaks on the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines powering its Airbus A380 aircraft.

However, SIA said the leaks were minor and did not pose any safety issues on the flights.

"It is correct that we have had five cases of oil leaks on Trent 900 engines but there was no safety of flight issue on any of those occasions," a spokesperson with the airline said.

"The issue that caused the leaks was identified and corrected. They were minor and we never needed to reduce power during flight."

He said the leaks were discovered after a Qantas A380 aircraft made an emergency landing in Singapore in November last year due to a mid-air engine explosion.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said in a report that the blast could have been caused by a possible manufacturing issue related to oil pipes on the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine.

The Australian safety watchdog said the problem could lead to fatigue cracking, oil leakage and potential engine failure from an oil fire.

SIA carried out engined checks on its own A380 fleet after the Qantas incident.

SIA is the first airline in the world to fly the A380 and now has 11 of the massive aircraft in service, with another eight on order.

Last month, Qantas estimated it had suffered an $81.1m financial hit from November's blast and resultant aircraft groundings. It said it was still discussing compensation with the British engine-maker.

- AFP