Qantas

The Qantas A380 jet that blew out an engine and made a successful emergency landing Thursday in Singapore appeared to represent a fairly unusual blemish on the safety record of the super-sized passenger jet. As of Thursday afternoon, no cause had been announced. But the Guardian is reporting that Europe's air safety watchdog in August issued an alert about abnormal wear inside the British-made Rolls-Royce engines that power the planes. All of which raises this question: Would you fly on this highly touted jet?

Qantas Airways Ltd. grounded its A380 super-jumbo fleet after an engine on one of the double-decker jets exploded Thursday six minutes after it took off from Singapore, shooting shards of metal through a wing and showering debris on the Indonesian island of Batam. The Australian carrier's decision to immediately suspend all flights on its six A380s left passengers stranded around the world and three of the super-jumbos parked on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport. FOR THE RECORD: Qantas engine explosion: An article in the Nov. 5 Business section about the explosion of an engine on a Qantas Airways A380 jet and the resulting grounding of all six of its Airbus-made super-jumbo aircraft said a video showed smoke trailing from the plane's right inboard engine.

THE BEST WAY TO AUCKLAND From LAX, Air New Zealand and Qantas offer nonstop service. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $1,538. TELEPHONES To call these numbers from the U.S., dial 011 (international dialing code) 64 (New Zealand's country code), the regional code (9) and the local number. WHERE TO STAY Boat Shed, P.O. Box 560, Oneroa, Waiheke Island; 372-3242, www.boatshed. Chic, nautically themed, luxury boutique hotel is centrally located to explore the wineries of Waiheke Island.

Australia's Qantas Airways said it had canceled orders for 15 Boeing 787s and delayed delivery of 15 more because of turbulent market conditions. The airline said the decision was not influenced by Chicago-based Boeing Co.'s announcement this week of a further delay to the 787's first flight.

British Airways and Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd. said Tuesday that they were holding talks about a potential merger, sparking hopes of consolidation in the hard-hit aviation industry. Both companies issued statements saying they were exploring a potential merger with each other "via a dual-listed company structure." Neither British Airways nor Qantas provided further details.

The world's largest airliner landed at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday with about 450 people aboard, kicking off Southern California's first A380 passenger service and providing a welcome economic boost for the slumping airport. Qantas Flight 93 from Melbourne, Australia, landed at 7:26 a.m. and was greeted by public officials and Hollywood celebrities including actor John Travolta and singer Olivia Newton-John.

Qantas Airways said today that it will financially compensate all passengers from a plane that made a terrifying plunge Tuesday, tossing people around the cabin and injuring dozens. Each will receive an airfare refund and a travel voucher equal to the cost of a flight between Australia and London, a Qantas spokesman said. The airline also planned to help pay medical expenses.

A packed Qantas jetliner lost the use of crucial flight instruments last week after an oxygen cylinder exploded and blasted a large hole in the fuselage, an air safety investigator said Wednesday. The explosion Friday during a flight from London to Melbourne forced the pilots of the Boeing 747-400 to rapidly descend thousands of feet and make an emergency landing in the Philippines.

An air safety investigator today said it appears that shrapnel from an oxygen cylinder explosion aboard a packed Qantas jetliner pierced the floor of the passenger cabin and sheared off part of a door handle. The blast Friday on a flight from London to Melbourne blew a large hole in the Boeing 747-400, causing an emergency landing in the Philippines. Australian Transport Safety Bureau official Julian Walsh said the shrapnel knocked the handle out of position.

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority said Qantas was ordered to quickly inspect every oxygen container aboard its fleet of 30 Boeing 747s. A missing oxygen tank is suspected of causing a large hole in a jumbo jet forced to make an emergency landing Friday in the Philippines with more than 350 people aboard. Aviation authority spokesman Peter Gibson said possible causes of the blast could include metal fatigue in the cylinder, a failure of the regulator valve, a puncture or overheating.