London ( CNN ) -- All Airbus A380 airplanes must be checked for cracks in the wings , the European Aviation Safety Agency ordered Wednesday . The order covering all A380s does not mean the planes must be grounded , said Dominique Fouda , a spokesman for the aviation agency . `` They can fly , they just have to be checked within the time frame , '' he said . It expands an existing order that the 20 oldest A380s be checked for cracks , Fouda said , adding , `` Now , with the second directive , we are including the whole fleet . '' Planes that have completed more than 1,384 takeoffs and landings must be inspected within three weeks of February 13 , the agency said . Those that have completed 1,216 to 1,383 flight cycles have six weeks , and planes that have performed fewer than 1,216 cycles must be examined before they reach 1,300 cycles . If cracks are found , the airline must contact Airbus for instructions , the agency said . The 68 A380 planes in operation are being flown by Air France , China Southern , Emirates , Korean Air , Lufthansa , Qantas and Singapore Airlines , according to the company website . Another 185 planes have been ordered , Airbus says . South Korea 's Ministry of Land , Transport and Maritime Affairs said that it will issue an order to Korean Air on Thursday to conduct a safety check on its five A380 aircraft . There are no immediate safety issues , the ministry said . None of the aircraft will need to be inspected before next spring . Any inspection carried out beforehand would not be beneficial in terms of determining safety of the aircraft , the ministry said . Wednesday 's order was not prompted by any new cracks , but is a normal follow-up to the original directive , which was issued three weeks ago , Fouda said . He called the directives an interim measure , saying a long-term fix is `` now being worked on with Airbus . '' That , he said , should be in place by the summer . CNN 's Ayesha Durgahee and Ric Ward contributed to this report .
The European air safety agency orders all A380s checked for cracks in the wings . The order does not ground the fleet . There are 68 A380s in operation around the world , the company says .