EU Regulator Flagged Potential Rolls-Royce Engine Problem in August

Three months ago a European regulator flagged possible problems with the engine that powered a Qantas Airways A380 that was forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore this week.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) told airlines in a directive issued on Aug. 4 to conduct additional checks on the Trent 900 engine built by Rolls Royce after it found wear on certain parts of the engine, according to an EASA spokesman.

The spokesman said on Friday that such directives are issued almost on a daily basis. He said EASA’s Certification Director Norbert Lohl had told media the agency does not see at present a link between the directive and the Qantas engine failure.

Qantas said on Friday a faulty part or a design issue may have caused the explosion in the aircraft’s engine.

The engine failure on Thursday, which scattered debris over an Indonesian island, marked the biggest incident to date for the A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, in service only since 2007.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)