Airline might sue Rolls-Royce over engine

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SYDNEY, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The Australian airline Quantas Airways says it has begun legal action against the maker of an engine used on some Airbus A380 passenger jets.

Quantas officials said they initiated the action against engine supplier Rolls-Royce as a backup in case it can't reach a settlement with the company over the explosion of one of its engines in flight last month, the BBC reported.

The pilots in the November flight made a successful emergency landing in Singapore after one of the explosion.

The Australian Safety Bureau found a manufacturing problem with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines.

"This condition could lead to an elevated risk of fatigue crack initiation and growth, oil leakage and potential catastrophic engine failure from a resulting oil fire," the ATSB said.

Not all A380s use the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines, but they are used on 20 planes owned by Qantas, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.

Rolls-Royce said it is addressing the problem and has "instituted a regime of inspection, maintenance and removal which has assured safe operation.

The Airbus A380 is the world's largest passenger jet and can carry as many as 800 passengers.