Airbus about to shut A380 doors on noisy leaks

Airbus has identified a small area on A380 doors where a faulty door seal has been causing some big noise issues on what is a very quiet jet.

Sources said that it had ‘identified and understood the root cause’ of the problem, which achieved notoriety in January after a Singapore Airlines A380 made an emergency landing in Baku, Azerbaijan, after problems with a door seal led to oxygen masks being deployed.

The faulty seal area is to be fixed with a retrofit that can be done during planned maintenance schedules, according to a procedure for which Airbus is preparing to seek EASA approval.

The sources said the retrofit solution was expected to be EASA approved and ready in the near future.

In the meantime A380 users such as Qantas have been carrying out inspections to find any door seal issues before they ‘get noisy’, and have been told to expect the modification program to be rolled out in the shorter term.

So far several hundred A380 doors from both decks have been inspected, with less than 10 percent having been found to be faulty, a figure confirmed publicly by Airbus earlier this month.

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EU adopts new noise regulation for European airports

The European Parliament has adopted a new regulation on the establishment of rules and procedures with regard to the introduction of noise-related operating restrictions at European airports. Airlines and airports welcomed the clarification and harmonisation of the methodology, which will need to be followed prior to the introduction of any new noise mitigating measures. Without undermining the decision-making power of local authorities, the new legislation will require the adoption of new measures to be preceded by a comprehensive noise assessment. 

The regulation is in line with the ‘balanced approach’, an international policy endorsed by all member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).  As part of the agreement, nearby residents should be kept better informed of restrictions and noise-related health problems should be given more consideration. Potential effects on the economy and impact on the capacity of air transport in Europe will also be taken into account.

ACI Europe, director general, Olivier Jankovec, explains today’s result is ‘welcome news’.

“Thanks to the strengthened application of ICAO’s ‘balanced approach’ at the initiative of the European Commission, the assessment of operating restrictions will now become more transparent and robust.

“Once in place, this new regulation should not only open up better lines of communication between the EU and national authorities dealing with this issue, it will also help reinforce dialogue between all the different stakeholders involved," Jankovec adds.

A joint statement was issued by Jankovec with Athar Husain Khan, CEO of the Association of European Airlines (AEA).

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