【Wen / Observers Network, Chen Sijia】After Airbus, the French aircraft manufacturer, urgently recalled some planes due to issues with flight control software, industry insiders have now revealed quality problems in Airbus factories. According to Reuters on December 1st, industry sources said that Airbus found quality issues in dozens of A320 series aircraft, leading to delays in some plane deliveries.
Reports about the aircraft quality issues caused Airbus' stock to fall nearly 11% on the 1st, marking the worst intraday drop since April 7th this year.
It has been confirmed by Airbus that this news is true, and the company is inspecting all affected aircraft. The company's spokesperson said that the root cause has been identified and controlled, and all newly produced panels meet all requirements.
According to industry sources, industrial quality issues were found in the fuselage panels of dozens of A320 series aircraft, which led to delivery delays for some aircraft, but there is no indication that the problem affects operational aircraft. The source said that the exact number of aircraft with quality issues and the duration of the delivery delay cannot be determined yet.
The sources pointed out that Airbus delivered 72 planes in November, which was lower than many analysts' expectations, resulting in the company's total production for the first 11 months of the year reaching only 657 planes. Airbus had set a target of delivering "approximately 820 planes" this year. To achieve this goal, the production in December must reach more than 160 planes, a record high.
Reuters noted that Airbus once set a December production record in 2019, with a figure of 138 planes at that time.
July 29, 2025, in Hamburg, Germany, the Airbus factory, the A320 series aircraft assembly line, Visual China
In response, an Airbus spokesperson confirmed to AFP: "Airbus has confirmed that it has discovered a supplier quality issue involving a limited number of A320 metal panels. Airbus is taking a cautious approach, inspecting all potentially affected aircraft, and expects to take further measures on only a portion of them."
The spokesperson emphasized: "The root cause of the problem has been identified and is under control. All newly produced panels meet all requirements."
Bloomberg News in the United States reported that the A320 series is Airbus's most popular product. The report about the aircraft quality issues caused Airbus' stock to fall nearly 11% on the 1st, marking the worst intraday drop since April 7th this year.
Analysts are divided on whether Airbus can meet its delivery targets. This indicator is crucial for aircraft manufacturers because airlines pay most of the payment when the planes are delivered, which will affect Airbus's revenue and cash flow.
At a time when Airbus is striving to meet a highly challenging delivery target, the company is also facing interference from software vulnerabilities. On the evening of November 28th, Airbus stated in a statement that a recent incident involving the A320 series aircraft showed that strong solar radiation may damage critical data for the operation of the flight control system. Therefore, "a large number of A320 series aircraft" need to be updated immediately.
Reuters cited industry sources stating that the incident involved a JetBlue Airlines flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, USA, on October 30th. At that time, the flight made an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, due to flight control issues and an unexpected sudden altitude loss, causing injuries to several passengers and triggering an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
On December 1st, Airbus released a statement on its official website stating that the majority of the approximately 6,000 A320 aircraft worldwide affected by the software issue have completed the necessary modifications. The company is working with airline customers to support the modification work on the remaining less than 100 aircraft to ensure they can resume operations.
Airbus China stated that as of November 30, 2025, all A320 series aircraft in the Chinese civil aviation fleet that needed to take preventive measures according to regulatory authorities and Airbus requirements have completed the relevant work as per airworthiness directives and Airbus technical documents. All operating A320 series aircraft are running flights smoothly and normally.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7578903644381184522/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.