The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has demanded that 16 Airbus A380 aircraft are urgently inspected, including five that must be checked before flying commercially again.
On June 22, 2026, EASA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (2026-0119-E) calling for wing mid spars inspections of 15 A380s operated by Emirates and one by Qantas.
The aviation regulator said the new directive followed a previous order (2025-0280) that highlighted the discovery of cracks in wing middle spars of several A380. However, the previous directive focused on inspecting A380s that were returning to service after each storage.
With the latest directive widening the issue, EASA said that with the “review of the results of those inspections, it has been determined that the cracks found on certain aeroplanes could reduce the structural integrity of the wing”.
“To address this potential unsafe condition, Airbus determined that an additional special detailed inspection has to be accomplished,” EASA said.
Five of the Emirates A380s must be inspected before their next flight while the other 11 A380s must undergo inspections within 25 flight cycles. The directive came into effect on June 24, 2026.
EASA said a ferry flight of the five A380s needing immediate inspection is permitted to position the plane to a location where the checks can be carried out.
Which Airbus A380s are affected by EASA directive?
The five A380s needing the most urgent care are listed as MSN (Manufacturer’s Serial Number) 190, 202, 203, 209 and 228. The additional 11 are MSN 30, 42, 55, 56, 105, 142, 184, 187, 208, 227 and 234.
A Qantas spokesperson told The Guardian that the issue had no bearings on the airline’s flight schedules.
“We have one A380, which requires additional inspections,” Qantas said. “The aircraft was already in scheduled maintenance, and we will comply with any additional requirements as a result of this airworthiness directive.”
The emergency directive has echoes of previous problems involving Airbus A380 wing cracks.
Airbus A380 wing crack problems date back more than a decade
In 2012, EASA ordered that all 67 in-service Airbus A380s were inspected for the issue.
“This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to reduction of the structural integrity of the aeroplane,” EASA said at the time.
Then in 2019, EASA highlighted occurrences of finding cracks in the affected areas of the wing ORS [Outer Rear Spar] on A380 aircraft.
Out of the global fleet there were 25 affected aircraft, operated by Emirates, Qantas, Singapore Airlines Air France, Lufthansa and Hi Fly.