Airbus engineers have identified defects in more A320 fuselage panels as they gear up to inspect hundreds of jets for a flaw that’s impacting deliveries, according to the company’s CEO.
A presentation to airlines, accessed by Reuters, indicated that 628 planes require inspection for recently detected quality issues on metal panels at the front, with 168 of these already in service.
This total includes 245 planes currently on assembly lines, as noted in the presentation, with industry sources stating that around 100 are slated for delivery this year. Additionally, 215 planes are at an earlier production stage known as Major Component Assembly.
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Moreover, similar thickness issues have been found on panels at the rear and other parts of the jets, although these are not on planes currently in service, as per the presentation.
An Airbus spokesperson confirmed, “We acknowledge that both in-production and in-service aircraft could be impacted,” but declined to provide specific numbers.
The detailed numbers, initially reported by Bloomberg, pertain to the jets requiring inspection, with guidance expected for airlines shortly.
Reuters first disclosed this industrial quality issue earlier in the week, noting it had been found on several undelivered planes.
Unlike the urgent recall of thousands of Airbus A320s for a software update over the weekend, this fuselage issue isn’t considered an immediate safety concern, sources noted.
Airbus ‘evaluating the situation’
CEO Guillaume Faury informed Reuters on Tuesday that the data is evolving, and decisions regarding the impact on December deliveries will be made soon. He acknowledged that deliveries were affected by the problem during a “weak” November.
Airbus is set to release November data on Friday, but Faury’s comments cast doubt over the annual targets, which some analysts believe are increasingly challenging to meet.
“We are evaluating the situation and trying to understand its impact on our operations,” Faury told Reuters, indicating that further updates may follow.
While one airline source anticipated inspections to last a few hours, repairs could extend much longer.
The Air Current reported that repairs might take three to five weeks, potentially disrupting the usual workflow and requiring additional labor in a costly process.
The affected components have incorrect thickness due to a stretching and milling process by Seville-based Sofitec Aero, the presentation revealed.
Sofitec Aero, one of the two suppliers for these parts, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The issue was first highlighted by the Wall Street Journal.
