Now Singapore Airlines is forced to change Rolls-Royce engines on three superjumbos
By Richard Shears
Last updated at 12:19 PM on 10th November 2010
Singapore Airlines is to replace British-built Rolls-Royce engines on three Airbus A380 planes it was announced today. A superjumbo was flown back to Singapore without passengers after oil was reportedly spotted on one of the giant turbines while at Heathrow airport. Engines on this airliner and two others in Australia will be replaced with new versions of the same model which exploded on a Qantas jet last week.
Checks: A Singapore Airlines Airbus A380. Three of the jets will each have one of their Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines replaced after traces of oil was found
Shares in Derby-based Rolls-Royce are likely to tumble further today following further embarrassing news about its Trent 900 engine. They fell 10 per cent in the first two days after the Qantas failure, wiping £1.2billion off the company’s value.
Share prices rallied yesterday to 607.5p, cutting the fall to £871million, after the announcement that a £750million deal has been signed with a Chinese airline. The decision to ground replace one turbine each on three Singapore Airline jets was made as a 'precautionary measure', the airline said.
It is understood just one engine on each of the jets will be replaced after tests showed signs of oil stains. It was reported the A380 crew at Heathrow Airport refused to fly an A380 bound for Singapore after oil was allegedly found in one of the turbines, but Singapore Airlines said later that this was 'absolutely incorrect.'
Reports suggested that passengers who were due to depart from London were informed that Rolls-Royce had placed an embargo on one of the Trent 900 engines. Rolls-Royce spokesman Roger Hunt said that checks were being carried out on A380 superjets, but he could not confirm if an embargo had been put in place. 'This is a process of ongoing checks,' he said. 'Safety is our highest priority.'
Taking a hit: The Rolls-Royce jet engine plant in Derby
Singapore Airlines said earlier this week that inspections had not revealed any problems with the engines on its fleet of 11 A380s. 'Any further checks that may be recommended by the manufacturers will of course be done and in the meantime we continue with our regular routine checks,' said a spokesman for the airline.
The decision to fly the superjets back to Singapore without passengers resulted in disruptions in London, Melbourne and Sydney, where the three affected aircraft were preparing to take passengers to the island republic.
The developments followed last week's drama when a Rolls-Royce engine on a Qantas superjet exploded after take-off from Singapore, resulting in the plane returning to the airport.
Disaster: Debris from the Qantus A380, which made an emergency landing in Singapore last Thursday, that fell to the ground in in Batam, Indonesia
It has since emerged that the drama was far more serious than first reported. The number two engine's explosion is understood to have caused significant damage to hydraulic systems that prevented spoilers - wing panels that create drag to slow the aircraft - from operating.
Rolls-Royce has told Qantas it has made good progress in understanding the cause of the engine failure on QF32. While this has not been revealed, some experts have suggested that the enormous thrust needed to get the aircraft off the ground caused the engine turbines to crack under the strain.
