Last week, European aviation safety authorities ordered all Airbus A380s to be checked after hairline cracks were found in wing brackets. Now, Spiegel has learned that the inspections and repairs could cost Airbus parent EADS up to 100 million euros -- over 1 million euros per plane.

Hairline cracks found on Airbus' new A380 wide-body airplanes could cost the plane manufacturer's parent company EADS as much as €100 million ($132 million), according to information obtained by Spiegel.

Photo: AFP. A China Southern Airlines Airbus A380.

The figure, which is based on calculations by industry experts and Airbus insiders and is significantly higher than previously assumed, means EADS will have to spend at least €1 million per plane to resolve the problem.

The defects, detected on brackets used to attach the outer areas of the plane to the wings, are expected to be repaired by summer. Last week, the problem prompted the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to require an inspection of all A380 planes.