A380 grounded with fuel pump problem
A380 superjumbo flight canceled due to a fuel pump defect
This is the first major technical fault to ground the world's largest passenger jet
Fuel pump problem was detected when the plane's engine was started
Singapore Airlines was first carrier in the world to operate the A380
SINGAPORE (AP) -- Singapore Airlines said Tuesday an A380 superjumbo flight was canceled due to a fuel pump defect, the first major technical glitch to ground the world's largest passenger jet.
Singapore Airlines was the first carrier in the world to operate the double-decker aircraft.
The carrier said the fuel pump problem was detected when the plane's engine was started ahead of departure Monday night on a flight from Singapore to Sydney.
"Airbus and our own engineers have dedicated teams to try to address these issues quickly, but last night's fuel pump defect took much longer to fix," Singapore Airlines said in an e-mailed statement to The Associated Press.
The airline said it had to switch to using a Boeing 747-400, which seats fewer people than the Airbus jet, because a replacement of the fuel pump failed to solve the problem. The company's second A380 could not be used as it was undergoing maintenance.
