Emirates A380 Flies More Than 13 Hours To Australia With Massive Hole In Side of Aircraft

Unconfirmed reports suggest the hole happened on takeoff from Dubai

On Friday, July 1, 2022, a 3-year-old Emirates A380 (A6-EVK) operating flight EK430, landed at Brisbane International Airport with a scary surprise – a massive hole on the left underside of the aircraft.

According to rumors from inside the airline, the aircraft flew all the way from Dubai with the damage. This speculation has yet to be confirmed by an investigation.

According to an initial report found at The Aviation Herald, the pilots informed ATC before landing they suspected they had blown a tire on takeoff from Dubai, and requested emergency services to meet the aircraft on landing in Brisbane. Once safely on the ground, the hole was discovered along with missing parts to the aircraft’s landing gears, which could have caused the puncture to an unpressurized portion of the plane.

A Loud Bang

A man identified as Chris, left a comment on The Aviation Herald, claiming to have been on the aircraft and heard a loud bang shortly after takeoff.

“I was on this flight sitting approx 10 rows in front of the hole on left side window. Around 30-45 mins after takeoff we heard a loud bang, I turned to my wife and said that whatever it was it would be stressing the pilots,” Chris wrote. “Definitely didn’t sound like normal turbulence. The rest of the flight was fine, no funny noises that I could hear. Before we landed they told us we had to land on a different runway and get an engineer to inspect the plane for a suspected landing gear problem. Landing felt really smooth. Then with the engine powered down we had to be towed. So surprised to see a hole in the side now!! Thankful it wasn’t any worse.”

Return Flight Canceled

As a result of the damage, the aircraft was not airworthy and could not return back to Dubai. The airline was forced to cancel the return flight, and the superjumbo remains parked in Brisbane for repairs.