June 24 (Reuters) - Airbus said on Wednesday it was

supporting inspections on a subset of A380 aircraft after

Europe's aviation regulator ordered urgent checks on the jets'

wing structures.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published

an emergency airworthiness directive on Monday requiring

inspections of 16 A380 aircraft, warning about cracks found in

wing spars that could affect structural integrity.

The directive requires five planes to be inspected before

next flight, with the remaining ones to be checked within 25

flight cycles.

Fifteen of the affected aircraft are operated by Emirates

and one by Australia's Qantas, according to flight

tracking service Flightradar24, based on the manufacturer serial

numbers listed in the directive.

Emirates did not reply to a request for comment.

Airbus said it had identified a smaller group of aircraft

with similar operating histories and was supporting inspections

on those jets.

"Depending on the inspection results, Airbus will assess

with EASA whether repairs are necessary or if the aircraft can

return to commercial service," a company spokesperson said.

EASA said cracks found on certain aircraft could reduce the

structural integrity of the wing.

The A380, nicknamed "superjumbo", is the world's largest

passenger airliner. Airbus ended production of the jet in 2021

as demand for the model, introduced in 2007, waned.