Emirates flight grounded after damage to wing; airline issues statement

An Emirates Airline Airbus A380 plane remained grounded at Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in France, following “some damage to a slat in the right wing” over the weekend, an airline spokesperson told Khaleej Times on Tuesday.

“Emirates can confirm that flight EK 77 (from Dubai to Nice) landed normally and passengers and crew safely disembarked. Upon landing, engineers discovered some damage to a slat in the right wing, and the aircraft will remain on the ground to undergo further assessments,” the airline spokesperson said.

“Safety is our highest priority and will not be compromised,” the spokesperson underlined.

The incident reportedly happened on Friday with the aircraft sustaining damage to a section of the leading edge, the foremost edge or the part of the wing that first contacts the air.

The cause of the damage, however, has yet to be confirmed according to French investigation board BEA (Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety) that looked into it.

Manufactured by European multinational aerospace corporation Airbus, the wide-body A380 is the world’s largest passenger airplane and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380.