European aviation giant Airbus has confirmed it has identified a “quality issue” affecting metal fuselage panels on a limited number of its best-selling A320 aircraft — but insists the problem has been fully contained.
“Airbus confirms it has identified a supplier quality issue affecting a limited number of A320 metal panels,” a spokeswoman told AFP, responding to earlier media reports.
She added that the company was adopting a “conservative approach”, inspecting all aircraft potentially affected, though only a fraction are expected to require further action.
“The source of the issue has been identified, contained, and all newly produced panels now meet every requirement,” she said.
The disclosure prompted Airbus shares to briefly plunge more than 10% on Monday on the Paris stock exchange amid concerns that the issue could delay deliveries of the A320 family — the world’s most widely sold commercial jet. Shares later recovered some of the losses.
The news comes on the heels of another setback for the manufacturer. Last week, Airbus said approximately 6,000 A320-series aircraft required a software upgrade following a computer malfunction incident in the United States.
Early reports fueled fears of a massive grounding, but Airbus clarified Monday that fewer than 100 planes remain temporarily out of service.
The software concern stems from an October 30 incident involving a JetBlue A320, which suffered a mid-flight control problem attributed to solar radiation disrupting onboard computer systems.
The aircraft abruptly descended while flying from Cancun to Newark, forcing an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.
Analysts at Deutsche Bank noted that Airbus has not revised its delivery guidance for the year, suggesting that the impact of both the panel inspections and software updates is either under evaluation or effectively contained.
First introduced in 1988, the A320 remains the world’s top-selling commercial aircraft. As of the end of September, Airbus had sold 12,257 A320-family jets, edging just ahead of Boeing’s iconic 737, which has recorded 12,254 sales.
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