Airbus identifies A321neo quality defect but says no safety risk

Airbus A321neo Quality Issue Identified; No Risk to Aircraft Safety or Operations

By Allison Lampert, Carlos Méndez and Mrinmay Dey

Overview of the Airbus A321neo Quality Issue

Sept 24 (Reuters) - Airbus said on Thursday it had identified and contained a "quality issue" in the fuselage structure of its A321neo aircraft, but that planes could continue operating because it did not pose a safety risk.

Scope and Impact of the Defect

The defect affects about 500 aircraft, including roughly 250 already in service and 250 in production, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The A321neo, Airbus' largest and most popular single-aisle jet, seats up to 244 passengers and is designed to fly routes of up to 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km). The defect does not impact the planemaker's longer-range A321XLR, said the source, who could not speak publicly about the private matter.

Previous Fuselage Issues

It is the second industrial problem to affect the fuselage of the industry's best-selling model in nine months after Airbus reported defects with fuselage panels last December.

Airbus also described that issue as a quality problem with no safety implications, but unravelling the situation caused several months of delivery delays.

Details of the Quality Issue

Airbus said it had discovered what it described as a "deviation" in the surface protection, or coating, applied to skeletal components known as stringers that run lengthways in a fuselage. It said the discovery was made while parts were already undergoing rework on the production line.

Containment and Remedy

Airbus has identified and contained the source of the issue and a remedy is available, it added.

Production and Analysis Timeline

The latest snag comes as Airbus is trying to increase production of narrow-body jets to 75 a month from about 60 now.

The source said Airbus first spotted the problem over the summer and the first results from closer analysis came back recently.

Supplier Involvement

This part of the plane is made by Airbus' in-house aerostructures unit Stelia, which was not immediately available for comment outside of business hours.

Customer and Regulatory Response

Customers are continuing to take aircraft deliveries without insisting on extra work being carried out in advance and Airbus has told customers there is no immediate requirement to repair, the source said.

European regulators may, however, issue a directive requiring the defects to be repaired within a certain period.US carrier Delta Air Lines, which operates A321neo planes, said it was continually in contact with manufacturers and would "always take action to meet or exceed operator recommendations and regulator directives."

Media Coverage

Industry publication the Air Current first reported the issue on Thursday.

(Reporting by Carlos Méndez, Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City, Allison Lampert in Montreal, Tim Hepher in Paris and Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Maju Samuel and Jamie Freed)