Is Airbus 380 too big to maneuver on ground?

By Lee Hyo-sik

The Airbus 380, the world’s biggest passenger jet, is once again making headlines across the globe, five months after the airplane operated by Australia’s Qantas Airways was forced to make an emergency landing due to engine failure.

This time, an A380 operated by Air France clipped the tail of a smaller regional jet on the ground at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, Monday night. Following the incident, the pilot stopped the aircraft, which was about to take off for Paris.

The A380 had 485 passengers and 25 crew members aboard when the incident took place, with the smaller jet carrying 62 passengers and four crew members. No one was injured.

Aviation experts here say that human error was the probable cause of the collision.

Air France Korea and a Korean representative of Airbus both declined to comment on what might have caused the accident, saying that they have not received any instructions from headquarters. The incident came at a time when Korean Air, the nation’s largest flagship carrier, is about to put its first A380 aircraft into operation in June. The airline plans to purchase nine additional A380s by 2014.

Its smaller rival Asiana Airlines will also add a total of six jumbo airliners to its fleet between 2014 and 2017 for its long-distance routes linking Incheon and cities in North America and Europe.

The Ministry of Land, Transportation and Maritime Affairs said it will take all possible safety steps to ensure the safe operation of A380 aircraft.

“We think the accident at JFK airport was due to human error, caused either by the pilots or airport ground crews. Due to its large size, pilots might have underestimated while steering the A380 on the ground, particularly at night,” said an official at the ministry’s aviation safety division, who does not want to be named.

He went on to say Korean Air is scheduled to add the jumbo jet to its fleet in less than two months, adding the ministry is currently collecting and studying cases of technical glitches and other safety-related incidents involving A380s overseas.

“We think Incheon International Airport will be able to accommodate the jumbo planes without a problem because it is built in accordance with international standards. After completing examining previous accidents involving A380s, we will come out with a range of safety measures and ask the two flagship carriers to adopt them,” the official said.

A Korean Air spokesman said the company is not in a position to comment on the accident, which does not involve its airplanes. “We have nothing to say about what happened between airplanes owned by other airlines. We think it is inappropriate to comment,” he said.

Asiana Airlines said it still has two more years to go until it operates A380s. “We will closely monitor the incident and what safety measures aviation authorities and airlines put into effect. If we think they will help us operate the A380 aircraft in a safer manner, we will consider introducing them,” an Asiana spokesman said.

에어버스 380 지상 조종하기 너무 큰가?

작년 11월 호주의 콴타스 항공의 에어버스 380 항공기의 엔진 고장이 있은 후 또 다른 동일 기종이 다시 전세계적으로 뉴스 헤드라인에 나오고 있다.

이번에는 뉴욕의 JFK공항에서 이륙하던 에어프랑스 소속 에어버스 380이 소형 항공기와 충돌하는 아찔한 사고가 발생했다. 항공안전관계자들은 파일럿의 실수일거라고 입을 모으면서도 A380 비행기가 워낙 커서 지상에서 특히 밤에 조종하기가 힘들 수도 있다고 경고하고 있다.

대한항공은 A380 기종을 올해 6월부터 운항하며 추가로 10대를 더 들여올 예정이다. 아시아나 항공도 2014년까지 총 6대의 A380기를 도입할 계획이다.

국토해양부 운항안전과 관계자는 이번 사건은 인재일 거라고 단정하면서도 A380기와 관련한 안전 관련 사항을 총체적으로 점검하여 국내 항공사들의 점보기 운항 안전에 만전을 기할 거라고 말했다.