Qantas grounds three Boeing 737NG aircraft after finding cracks

Qantas has reportedly grounded three of its Boeing 737NG aircraft after finding cracks in the structure of the plane. The CEO of Qantas Domestic, Andrew David told international media that even though the hairline cracks are not an immediate risk, Qantas would never fly an aircraft that wasn't safe. The cracks found were a part of an inspection on 33 of its 737NG models that occurred at pickle fork, the part where wings meet the body. 

On Thursday, the aircraft manufacturer Boeing had also stated that it had grounded up to 75 of its 737NG planes. The announcement came after cracks were found in them, in a blow to the company following two deadly 737 MAX crashes. Qantas became the latest airline to ground Boeing planes in its fleet and added that it would be inspecting the other 32 Boeing 737NG planes to ensure that a potential disaster is averted. The announcement by the Australian carrier came after the concerned officials in Seoul, South Korea, stated that a total of 9 planes had been grounded including 5 aircraft that were a part of the Korean Airs' fleet. While talking to an international media outlet, Boeing's representative mentioned that nearly 5 percent of the 1000 planes had cracks detected in them and were grounded for the necessary repairs. 

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'Immediate investigation'

Qantas' chief of engineering, Chris Snook, stated that the airline would not put their customers at risk and would never fly an aircraft that poses a threat to security. The American Federal Aviation Administration had asked for an immediate investigation of the cracks in the 737NG planes that had been in the air more than a total of 30,000 times. In response to this, Qantas said that it has discovered the cracks in an aircraft that had recorded less than 27,000 flights, which are a more lightly used aircraft than the ones ordered to be inspected. 

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Qantas also said that the damaged plane had been removed from its fleet of active aircraft and had been sent for repairs. They added that the remaining 737NG planes would have their inspection finished by November 1. The airline cleared that the Boeing 737NG planes were used on domestic flight paths, flying mainly between major cities and trips to New Zealand.

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