The arrival Saturday of an Emirates flight in Australia offered a stunning revelation: a large hole was discovered in the side of the plane, which had just completed a 14-hour flight.
The incident, in which no crew members or passengers were reported injured, happened on a Airbus A380 from Dubai to Brisbane, Australia.
Passengers on the plane told The Courier Mail in Australia a loud bang was heard early on in the flight, but after conversation among crewmembers, the flight continued as usual.
English actress Lisa Kay said she was on the flight, saying on Twitter: “I recall a noise & the flight attendants looking concerned at each other.”
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Shortly before landing in Brisbane, the pilots told air traffic control members they believed they blew a tire and requested emergency service be on stand-by, according to the aviation website Aviation Herald.
Emirates confirmed the incident in a statement to USA TODAY, calling it a “technical fault.”
“One of the aircraft’s 22 tires ruptured during cruise, causing damage to a small portion of the aerodynamic fairing, which is an outer panel or the skin of the aircraft,” the statement read.
Emirates said the fault had no impact on the fuselage, frame or structural integrity of the aircraft, which allowed it to safely land and allow passengers to exit the plane normally and on schedule.
“The fairing has been completely replaced, checked and cleared by engineers, Airbus and all relevant authorities. The safety of our passengers and crew has always been our top priority,” Emirates added.
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