Qantas grounds all A380 aircraft after Singapore emergency

Australia's Qantas Airways grounded its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos today after an engine failure forced a dramatic emergency landing in Singapore. The double-decker plane, carrying 433 passengers and 26 crew, dumped fuel over Indonesia before returning to Singapore.

Australia's Qantas Airways grounded its fleet of Airbus A380 superjumbos on Thursday after an engine failure forced a dramatic emergency landing in Singapore.

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Chief executive Alan Joyce said Qantas's six A380s -- the flagship of its 191-strong fleet -- had been suspended from take-off pending investigations into the incident.

"We have decided that we will suspend all A380 take-offs until we're fully comfortable that sufficient information has been obtained about QF32," Joyce told reporters in Sydney.

Joyce said the plane experienced engine trouble just six minutes into its flight from Singapore to Sydney, before turning back and landing at the city-state's Changi Airport.

The double-decker plane, carrying 433 passengers and 26 crew, dumped fuel over Indonesia before returning to Singapore.

Qantas was earlier forced to deny media reports that the plane had crashed.

However, Joyce said the incident would not affect an order for more of the giant aircraft.

"We have orders for over 20 aircraft. Those aircraft will continue to arrive," he said.