Airbus A321neo hit by new quality snag; why the planemaker says jets can keep flying

The latest market report highlights that Airbus SE is facing a new quality offering affecting a “number” of its best-selling A321neo jet, although the manufacturer stated the problem was not a safety concern.

The manufacturer uncovered a “deviation” in surface protection on “stringers located at the softer front section of the fuselage,” a spokesman for the European planemaker stated in a statement.

The Air Current first noted that Airbus was facing a quality offering with insufficient corrosion protection on fuselage sections on hundreds of in-service and in-production jets.

Airbus has identified the source of the offering, and it has been contained and a remedy is available, the spokesman stated. Aircraft can keep operate, and the rework “doesn’t require any disassembly of the stringers.”

Earlier this month, Bloomberg News noted that Airbus had identified quality lapses in the tail section of its larger A330neo aircraft, bringing deliveries of the model to a near halt between June and August.

Quality snags aren’t unusual in the notoriously exacting aviation industry. The firm discovered faulty fuselage panels on its A320 family jets, prompting Airbus to softer its delivery target in the final weeks of December to around 790 units.