Qantas dismisses calls to ground all of its 737s after cracks found in planes

Engineers have called on Qantas to ground its Boeing 737 fleet after a second plane was reportedly found with cracking on its wing structure.

The US Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year ordered airlines to check any 737s that had completed more than 30,000 take-offs and landings, known as cycles, for cracks.

Qantas on Wednesday said it had found one example of cracking in an aircraft with just under 27,000 cycles and it had been removed from service for repair.

But the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association on Thursday morning said a second Qantas 737 had been found with a "cracked primary wing structure".

"These aircraft should be kept safe on the ground until urgent inspections are completed," association secretary Steve Purvinas said in a statement.

A Qantas Boeing 737-800 at Sydney Airport. A crack was recently found in one of the airline's Boeing 737s. Source: AAP (file pic)

But Qantas head of engineering Chris Snook says the airline would never operate a plane unless it was "completely safe to do so".

He said the association's call to ground the fleet was "completely irresponsible".

"Even when a crack is present, it does not immediately compromise the safety of the aircraft," Mr Snook said in a statement on Thursday.

"These inspections are being conducted by airlines globally. As other airlines have done when they have found cracks, Qantas will remove aircraft from service so they can be repaired."

The airline said it would provide a further update once the checks were complete.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson told the Sydney Morning Herald it has no concerns.

He added Qantas told CASA as soon as the airline discovered the first crack.

“Yes it’s a serious problem, but it’s being dealt with seriously and in the appropriate way,” Mr Gibson told the paper.

With AAP

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter, download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.