Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Hole in airborne Emirates plane 1 in a million, says aviation expert

Hole in airborne Emirates plane 1 in a million, says aviation expert

A plane that flew for 14 hours with a large hole in its side is a ‘one in a million case’, according to one aviation expert.
Passengers on the Emirates flight from Dubai to Brisbane were shocked to see the damage when they disembarked on Friday 1 July.The airline says the hole was created when one of the Airbus A380’s 22 tires burst shortly after take-off. No passengers were injured, and flight EK430 was able to complete its journey as planned.

The incident is highly unusual, Dr Johannes Boroh, a former commercial pilot and senior lecturer in aviation studies at London’s Kingston University tells Euronews Travel.

“It’s a one in a million case probably. It’s something that we don't see every day.”

One passenger from the flight, called Patrick, told Australia’s Courier Mail that he heard an alarming noise around 45 minutes into the flight.

“There was a loud bang and I felt it through the floor as well.”

“There was a loud bang and I felt it through the floor as well,” he said. “The cabin crew remained calm, stopped the food service and got on the phone and checked the wings, engines.”

On approach to Brisbane Airport, the crew informed air traffic controllers that they would need emergency services on landing, the Aviation Herald - which covers aviation incidents - reports.

Why did the Emirates flight continue after the bang?

It’s the kind of incident to send shivers down the spine of a nervous flier. Some commenters on social media have even questioned why the crew decided to press on after detecting a fault.

But from a pilot’s perspective, Dr Boroh explains, if there are no ‘indications’ showing up on the system then they can’t do much.

The damage occurred to part of the plane’s aerodynamic fairing - the outer panel or ‘skin’ of the aircraft.

“At no point did it have any impact on the fuselage, frame or structure of the aircraft,” Emirates stated.

It would have been a different story had the dent been made in the compartment where air is pressurized.

“If you hear a loud bang as a pilot, first things first the cabin crew will stop and inspect, taking a look outside the aircraft,” says Dr Boroh. In this case, “Of course [they couldn’t] see anything because the hole was underneath them.”

There are no cameras trained on this part of the plane, and no sensors to check for holes. With visual checks and indicators showing no issues, the pilots didn’t have cause to be overly concerned, he adds.

A third check they are likely to have made is contacting Dubai Airport to see if any part of the plane was lost during take-off. But reports indicate the runway was clear of debris.

Passengers would have experienced a noisier flight than normal, but were not in any danger according to the aviation academic. He draws a stark contrast with an Aloha Airlines Flight in 1988, when an explosive decompression tore the roof and sides from the fuselage, killing one flight attendant.

The tragic incident changed the way Boeing 737s were made, with an extra outer layer of skin added, and led to tighter safety checks.

In response to Friday’s "technical fault", Emirates adds, "The fairing has been completely replaced, checked and cleared by engineers, Airbus and all relevant authorities.

“The safety of our passengers and crew has always been our top priority.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×