Airbus to Inspect Up to 600 A320 Family Aircraft Over Front-Panel Component Issues
Airbus announced it will conduct inspections on an unspecified number of A320 family aircraft due to a supplier quality issue involving front-panel metal components, where some panels were found to be either overly thick or too thin. This issue does not affect flight safety, but inspections will determine if any aircraft require further action.
The manufacturer is taking a conservative approach, estimating that up to about 600 planes might need inspection. Among those, Reuters reported that 168 planes already in service are included in the inspections.
The source of the problem has been identified and contained, and newly produced panels now meet the required specifications. Airline operators have responded accordingly: Delta Air Lines reported fewer than 50 A321neo aircraft are affected, with the necessary work completed without impacting operations. Lufthansa Group indicated that 11 recently delivered aircraft are affected and will undergo immediate inspections, emphasizing that safety is guaranteed and there will be no operational effects.
This panel inspection initiative follows a recent event where thousands of A320s were grounded due to a software update addressing solar radiation potentially impacting flight-control computers, which had caused broad disruption.
