Emirates has ferried an Airbus A380 to Dresden, where EADS subsidiary Elbe Flugzeugwerke will install the permanent full-life fix for the cracks in the type's wing-rib brackets.
The aircraft arrived in the German city on 18 May and will undergo the modification work in a hangar that has been extended with a temporary structure to accommodate the full length of the fuselage, says EFW.
The cargo conversion and MRO specialist can work on only one A380 at a time, and estimates that the modification will take about two months for each aircraft.
Around 100 technicians will be involved in the programme.
Emirates contracted EFW to conduct the modification on nine A380s, with the remainder of the carrier's 33-strong superjumbo fleet being repaired at Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, Ameco Beijing in China and France-based Sabena Technics.
The programme for Emirates' A380 fleet is to be completed by the end of 2014.
EFW says that it hopes to win additional A380 wing modification contracts from other operators.
It has been undertaking temporary A380 wing-rib fixes with mobile repair teams for some time, including work for Emirates in Abu Dhabi. But the aircraft is EFW's first final-fix project in Dresden.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
