Airbus has uncovered a new issue with fuselage panels on multiple A320-family aircraft, causing delays in deliveries as the company strives to meet year-end goals, as reported by Reuters. The potential flaw, identified during manufacturing inspections, has not been detected on aircraft already in operation.
With 72 aircraft delivered in November, Airbus has reached a total of 657 deliveries in 2024 and aims for nearly 820 deliveries by the end of this year, necessitating a peak monthly production in December.
The source of the recent production defect remains uncertain, with Airbus refraining from immediate comments on the matter.
Against the backdrop of the recent global operational halt due to a flight-control vulnerability related to solar radiation, Airbus has reported that the majority of the 6,000 affected A320-family jets have undergone necessary modifications, leaving fewer than 100 awaiting updates. Despite progress, some airlines like Avianca and JetBlue are experiencing delays in operations.
Following the completion of software updates on 323 A320-family aircraft flagged for the flight-control issue in India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the upgrades have been successfully implemented by Indian carriers.
As Airbus tackles both the manufacturing setback and the urgent software updates globally, the pressure mounts for the company to fulfill an ambitious delivery schedule in December, aiming to surpass previous records set in 2019.
This article was published by Priyanka Kumari on December 1, 2025, at 18:00 IST.