On March 26, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said that it had grounded a second Airbus A380 aircraft on March 24 and switched Sydney-bound passengers to smaller planes because of a fuel pump problem.

Singapore Air spokesman Stephen Forshaw said in a statement that the problem with the fuel pump was similar to the problem that grounded another A380 in February.

"The cause has been traced to the premature failure of a new fuel pump provided by Airbus," he said.

The world's largest passenger jet is now back in service, he added.

SIA is currently the world's only carrier operating the A380, after having first introduced the plane on regular Singapore-Sydney flights in October last year.

It now operates three A380s on daily flights from Singapore to Sydney and London, and has another 16 A380s on order.

SIA will use its fourth A380, yet to be delivered, on its Singapore-Tokyo route from late May.