Watch Emirates’ First A380 Undergo a 55-Day Inspection
Joe Cortez November 24, 2014
A video from Emirates shows the carrier’s first A380 undergoing its first “3C-Check” maintenance routine.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to complete a full service of an Airbus A380 superjumbo jet? Emirates recently released a video capturing the first intensive 3C-Check maintenance inspection of its first A380. The time-lapse video details the amount work required to completely service the world’s largest commercial aircraft.
According to a report from Australian Aviation, the aircraft is registered as A6-EDA. By the time the aircraft was towed into Emirates’ Dubai engineering hangar for its 3C-Check in June, it had completed around 3,000 flights and shuttled around 1.2 million flyers to their destinations. In that time, it’s estimated that A6-EDA flew nearly 750,000 miles — enough miles to go around the world 30 times.
During the 55-day maintenance check, every part of A6-EDA was inspected, removed and refinished. It included the inspection and overhaul of the four jet engines, the restoration of each of the seats onboard and a refinishing of the bar. According Emirates, the harsh conditions in which its aircraft operate mandate the special attention to detail.
“Here in Dubai, we operate aircraft under some of the world’s toughest conditions,” said Colin Disspain, Emirates’ vice president of base engineering. “This requires Emirates to increase maintenance standards to our specific situation. For example, parts often need to be exchanged instead of just cleaned in order to achieve our high level of quality and precision.”
According to Disspain, A6-EDA has been restored to “pristine condition, just as it originally left the factory.” The aircraft returned to service on July 31, operating a route from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Auckland Airport (AKL) via Brisbane Airport (BNE).
[Video: YouTube]
While engines are removed during heavy checks to facilitate the overhaul of the aircraft, the engines themselves are not overhauled then unless they happen to be due for an overhaul at the same time (which they rarely are).
It would have been nice to see some of the other things that are done as part of this check. This video only shows the interior enhancement/refurb, but nothing about the mechanical, structural and other maintenance items that are accomplished during this heavy check.