Emirates Aircraft Wing Sustains Damage at Nice Airport, Indications Point to Drone Collision

An Emirates Airlines Airbus A380-800 (registered as A6-EOM) has encountered wing damage, which was verified after its landing at Nice Airport in France.

Reports indicate the possibility of a drone collision.

The incident transpired on Friday, August 18, as stated by the airline. Following the landing, an examination revealed harm to a wing element responsible for enhancing lift during low-speed flight, as detailed by SchengenVisaInfo.com.

Emirates confirmed the following information:

“Emirates can confirm that flight EK 77 from Dubai to Nice on August 18 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. Safety is our highest priority and will not be compromised.”

While suspicions circulated regarding a potential drone impact, Bruno Boulay, the Head of the Air Navigation Department at the DGAC Sud Est, noted the lack of concrete evidence supporting this theory. Boulay pointed out that the incident was reported when the aircraft was on the ground during the thrust phase, with communication between the pilot and the control tower highlighting a problem preventing subsequent takeoff.

The Bureau of Research and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) in France acknowledged its participation in the investigation. However, the agency couldn't definitively confirm the role of a drone in the incident.

Starting August 19, 2023, three different Emirates Airbus A380s, specifically A6-EOB, A6-EEC, and A6-EEV, operated flights designated as EK77 to Nice Airport. Historical data from Ch-aviation revealed that Airbus A380 with registration A6-EOM was delivered by Airbus in August 2015, having its inaugural flight on March 10, 2015.

The A6-EOM has accumulated 29,829 flight hours and 3,061 flight cycles throughout its operational history. Notably, there was a period of storage between March 2020 and May 2021, during which registered flight hours and cycles were absent. Activity decrease was also evident in March 2020 and between June 2022 and October 2022.

Furthermore, on August 21, an Air France Airbus A319 (registered as F-GRHY) at Paris Orly Airport in France encountered damage to its nose gear during pushback from the gate, causing the airline to cancel the intended flight. The carrier's mechanics initiated repair work.

Please note that a previous version of this text asserted the airplane had been struck by a drone. The article was subsequently updated on August 22 to clarify that while suspicions persist about a potential drone involvement, complete certainty on the matter remains elusive.

Source: schengenvisainfo.com