Safety checks ordered on A400M

Airbus informs operators about checks to be performed on the fleet

Safety checks have been ordered for the Airbus A400M military aircraft, whose operators include the Ministry of Defence (MoD), following a fatal crash earlier this month.

Airbus Defence and Space said it had sent an Alert Operator Transmission (AOT) to all operators of the A400M informing them about checks to be performed on the fleet.

The alert requires operators to perform one-time specific checks of the electronic control units (ECU) on each of the aircraft's engines before the next flight.

Operators will also have to carry out additional detailed checks in the event of any subsequent engine or ECU replacement.

Four of the six people aboard an A400M test flight were killed when the plane crashed after taking off from Seville airport in Spain on 9 May.

The MoD has two A400Ms with others on order. After the crash the MoD said operations of the two aircraft would be "temporarily paused".