An Airbus A380 test flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai got off to a bad start Saturday after the mammoth aircraft's left winglet was crushed while backing out of its parking space at Suvarnabhumi Airport, according to dpa. The accident was caused by the Thai Airways International (THAI) push-back operator who clipped a maintenance hangar, crumpling the A380's left winglet, as he backed the aircraft onto the tarmac for scheduled morning departure. "This sort of thing happens every day, in every airport around the world," said Edouard Ullmo, Airbus' executive vice president of sales for Asia Pacific. Airbus decided to remove both winglets, designed to stabilize the aircraft in heavy turbulence, before resuming the flight to Chiang Mai Saturday afternoon. "We can fly with one winglet or no winglets," said Ullmo. "This is standard procedure." The test flight with 150 passengers on board departed for Chinag Mai at 1:00 p.m. and arrived back in Bangkok at 7:00 p.m. without further incident. THAI has ordered six of the planes, the world's largest.
