Singapore Airlines grounds three A380s

One of Singapore Airlines' Airbus A380s. Photo / Supplied

Singapore Airlines has confirmed it has pulled three of its Airbus A380 jumbos from its network due to engine issues.

An airline spokeswoman said the three aircraft were on the ground in Melbourne, Sydney and London.

"Based on further analysis of inspection findings, we are carrying out precautionary engine changes on three of our A380 aircraft," she told AAP today.

Singapore said the engine changes don't affect its eight other A380s at this point.

Tests revealed oil stains in three engines on three of the airline's A380s, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. The planes, in Melbourne, Sydney and London, will be flown to Singapore, where they'll be fitted with new engines.

The decision comes after Qantas last Thursday grounded its six A380s after a plane flying out of Singapore to Sydney was forced to turn back after one of the engines exploded.

Qantas has since been investigating the incident alongside engineers from engine maker Rolls-Royce and aircraft maker Airbus.

Rolls-Royce, which manufactures engines for A380s by Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Germany's Lufthansa, had recommended a series of checks on the Trent 900 engines.

It released a statement on Monday saying it had made progress in understanding what caused the Qantas engine to burst, but offered no details on what that cause might be.

Singapore Airlines said passengers flying from Melbourne to Singapore were delayed for a few hours on Wednesday morning before being accommodated on an alternative aircraft.

It warned that passengers due to leave Sydney for Singapore on Wednesday afternoon may face disruptions as the airline seeks to accommodate them on other flights.

"We are assessing the best options for passengers making connecting flights from Singapore and looking to minimise passenger disruption," the airline spokeswoman said.

Qantas on Monday said that testing on the Trent 900 Rolls-Royce engines on its aircraft was continuing after oil leaks were discovered on three aircraft - two in Los Angeles and one in Sydney.

Chief executive Alan Joyce said the leaks were found in the turbine area of the engines.

Joyce said Monday that Qantas was focusing its investigation on the oil leaks, which he said were abnormal and should not be occurring on new engines.

Lufthansa and Singapore briefly grounded their planes last week but quickly resumed services after completing checks.

- AAP, AP