A large hole was discovered in the wing root fairing of an Emirates Airbus A380 after it landed in Brisbane (BNE) on July 1, 2022.
The aircraft, registered as A6-EVK, took off from Dubai (DXB) at 11:10 GMT. According to unconfirmed reports in the local and international media, the crew suspected a tire was blown during takeoff.
Following the landing 13.5 hours later, a large hole was noticed in the left-wing root fairing. The Aviation Herald reports that the hole likely resulted from a detached landing gear bolt.
Emirates Airbus A380 (A6-EVK) departed rwy 30L at Dubai (OMDB), VAE on flight #EK430 to Brisbane, Qld, Australia where it landed safely. After landing, a large hole was seen in the left fuselage, allegedly coming from a detached bolt in the nosegear.https://t.co/o1EqBuJ0bA pic.twitter.com/s4p6tIpXDw
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) July 2, 2022
According to The Daily Mail, multiple passengers said they heard and felt a loud bang approximately 45 minutes into the flight. However, the flight crew remained calm and the rest of the flight went smoothly.
Judging from the photos posted online, the hole in the wing root fairing appears to be at least 1 meter (3 feet) in diameter. However, the reports indicate that the pressurized section of the aircraft sustained no damage.
The return flight was canceled and, as of July 3, the damaged aircraft remains in BNE according to Flightradar24 data.
A6-EVK is the same aircraft that attracted attention in May 2022 after becoming the first of ten Emirates A380s painted in the Museum of the Future livery.
UPDATE 04-07-2022, 13:20 (UTC +3): Story modified to correct the location of the damage