Bill for Damage to Quantas's Airbus A380: At Least $70 Million

The Qantas (QUBSF) Airbus A380 engine explosion that required a Sydney-bound jet to return to Singapore shortly after takeoff on Nov. 4 caused at least $70 million in plane damage, according to a report from insurance-consulting company Aon(AON).

The blowout of the A380's Rolls-Royce (RR) engine will likely cost even more when factoring in extra repairs and inspections as well as costs associated with Qantas grounding its A380 fleet for most of this month, the Associated Press reported.

Aon's report comes as Australian authorities prepare to release its own study on the incident later this week. On the Nov. 4 flight, the A380 experienced engine problems not long after takeoff and returned to Singapore. None of the 440 passengers and 25 crew members were reported injured.

Qantas has said it will seek reimbursement from Rolls-Royce for some of the damages and costs stemming from the incident.