Airbus to Inspect Hundreds of A320 Jets for Defective Panels

Airbus SE must inspect hundreds of its bestselling A320 jets for potential quality flaws in the aircraft’s body, an arduous process that risks complicating the company’s last-ditch effort to meet its delivery target. A total of 628 jets contain panels that may be too thick or too thin due to a manufacturing issue at a supplier, Airbus told A320 customers in a roughly hour-long presentation last week. Most of those aircraft are still at Airbus, with 245 on the final assembly line or being prepared for delivery while 215 are in earlier stages of production, according to materials from the presentation that were seen by Bloomberg. Another 168 planes are in service with carriers, Airbus told customers during the presentation. Airbus said in the presentation that a “significant proportion” of panels are expected to conform to its specifications, meaning they will acceptable in their current state. Airbus said earlier on Monday that it is taking “a conservative approach” by inspecting all aircraft potentially affected by the issue, adding that “only portion of them will need further action to be taken.” Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Aerospace, Defense & Airlines Analyst George Ferguson joins Bloomberg Businessweek Daily to discuss. He speaks with Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec.

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