SIA engine problem was 'non-event': Airbus maker

An engine problem on a Singapore Airlines A380 superjumbo airliner was a "non-event" in technical terms, the chief executive of the company that built it said Monday.

Singapore Airlines said the plane carrying 444 passengers from Paris to Singapore was forced to return to the French capital on Sunday when the as-yet unspecified problem was detected two and a half hours into the flight.

The A380 is the world's largest passenger airliner and Singapore Airlines (SIA) is the first to take delivery of it, having ordered 19 with an option for six more.

Speaking in Paris, Louis Gallois, chief executive of Airbus manufacturer EADS, called the incident "a complete non-event".

"Engine failure on a four-engine aircraft does happen and nobody should think of it as a drama," Gallois told journalists. "In technical terms, it is not an event."

"This airplane would have been able to reach its destination with three engines out of four with no difficulty."

Singapore Airlines and Rolls-Royce, the British manufacturer of the engines, both said they were investigating.

"We are in the process of examining the problem," said Singapore Airlines spokesman Jerry Seah, adding that the Paris-Singapore route was being maintained by another Airbus A380.

Singapore Airlines said the A380 could have continued the flight on its three remaining engines.

A spokeswoman for Rolls-Royce told AFP the company was "working closely with Singapore Airlines to investigate the reasons behind the engine error message reported on the flight."

"The engine has been removed and is currently undergoing detailed investigation," she said. "The aircraft is being fitted with a replacement engine and will continue in service."

Airport sources said the plane took off at 12.30 pm (1030 GMT) on Sunday and landed back at Charles de Gaulle airport at 5.39 pm.

The A380 began its first commercial flights from Europe in early June. Singapore Airlines hopes to have 11 A380s in operation by the end of March.