Airbus to inspect some planes over ‘quality issue’ with panels

Airbus has confirmed an unspecified number of its aircraft will undergo inspections after a “supplier quality issue” with metal panels used on some of its planes was identified.

The problem, which the firm said impacts a “limited number” of planes in the widely-used A320 family, comes days after thousands of the same model were grounded for an urgent software update.

On Tuesday, the European manufacturer said it was taking a “conservative approach” by checking all planes that could be affected.

As many as 600 planes will need to be checked, but not all are expected to have faulty panels that require repairs, Airbus’s spokesperson told the BBC.

“The source of the issue has been identified, contained and all newly produced panels conform to all requirements,” he said.

The “supplier quality issue” is located at the front of the aircraft, where in some cases, the panels were found to be overly thick or too thin.

“This quality issue does not affect the flight safety of the aircraft in question,” they added.

“Only inspections will determine where an aircraft may have panels with quality issues and the appropriate action to be taken.”

The number of jets that needed inspections for quality problem include 168 planes that are already in service, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

It is not known how long repairs could take.

The BBC has contacted major airlines that use the A320, including British Airways, American Airlines and Lufthansa for comment.

Korean Air told BBC in a statement that it is awaiting more information from Airbus to determine if any of its aircraft are affected.

Delta said that its teams have completed the required work and that there has been no effect on operations.

“This applies to a small portion of our Airbus A320 family fleet. Specifically, less than 50 A321neo aircraft,” the airline said in a statement.

Lufthansa Group, whose airlines include SWISS, ITA Airways and Eurowings, said it was “actively informed” about the need for panel inspections by Airbus which affects 11 aircraft recently delivered to the group.

“Lufthansa will carry out the recommended inspection immediately and is in close contact with the manufacturer,” the company told the BBC.

“We would like to point out that the safety of the aircraft is guaranteed at all times and that there are no operational effects.”

Earlier this week, thousands of Airbus planes were grounded for a software update after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers.

That issue was discovered after a plane travelling between the US and Mexico suddenly lost altitude as a result of the vulnerability, injuring 15.

More than 6,000 Airbus aircraft needed emergency computer updates in one of the largest ever aviation industry interventions.

It resulted in global disruption and flight cancellations over the final weekend of November, a busy time of the year for travel – particularly in the US, where it coincided with Thanksgiving.

Airbus shares have fallen by more than 6.5% in the past five days.