**Airbus in Hot Water Again: A320 Planes Under Inspection Over Metal Panel Quality Issues**
Airbus is facing another challenge as it announces inspections on a limited number of its A320 aircraft due to a ”supplier quality issue” discovered in metal panels used in the planes. This comes on the heels of thousands of A320s being grounded for an urgent software update prompted by a critical safety issue related to solar radiation interference with flight control systems.
On Tuesday, the company emphasized a ”conservative approach”, opting to check all potentially affected planes, despite the fact that not every one of them may require repairs. Reports suggest that approximately 600 A320s could be implicated, although Airbus has remained cautious, not confirming the figure. Currently, 168 of these aircraft are already in service and may need inspection.
According to an Airbus spokesperson, the source of the issue has been located and all newly produced parts now adhere to the required standards. The statement indicates that inspections are necessary to determine whether any aircraft have panels with quality deficiencies and the correct follow-up actions that may be needed.
Notably, the panel issue does not pose an immediate safety risk. This is a relief, especially in light of the recent major software vulnerability that required the grounding of over 6,000 Airbus planes. This previous issue resulted in a significant aviation recall, causing widespread disruption and cancellations, particularly during a peak travel weekend for Thanksgiving in the US.
As of now, major airlines, including British Airways, American Airlines, and Lufthansa, have been approached by the BBC for comments. Korean Air is awaiting more information from Airbus to assess its fleet, while Delta Airlines has completed necessary checks on its A320 family of aircraft, noting minimal impact on operations with less than 50 A321neo planes involved. Meanwhile, Airbus’ shares have dropped over 6.5% in the last five days, reflecting the ongoing fallout from these issues.