Airbus is investigating a newly identified industrial quality issue affecting fuselage panels on several dozen A320-family aircraft, according to industry sources briefed on the matter.
The suspected production flaw, disclosed to Reuters by people familiar with the issue, has begun to delay some near-term deliveries, though there is currently no indication the problem has reached aircraft already in service.
The exact origin and scope of the flaw remain under review. Airbus has not yet communicated on the issue. One source said the issue concerns manufacturing tolerances detected during production checks, prompting additional inspections across a batch of A320neo-family airframes.
Record-setting December needed to hit yearly target
The development comes at a sensitive moment for Airbus and follows another recent technical setback for the A320 program. On November 28, 2025, airlines were ordered to apply precautionary software updates to the type’s elevator aileron computers after Airbus and EASA flagged a vulnerability that required immediate attention. Most of the global fleet returned to service within days, and the recall effort is now nearing completion, according to Airbus.
The new discovery adds fresh operational pressure at a time when the planemaker is racing to meet an ambitious annual delivery target. Airbus handed over 72 aircraft in November, bringing the 2025 total to 657. To achieve its full-year goal of around 820 deliveries, the company would need a record December performance of more than 160 aircraft. The current December record stands at 138 aircraft, set in 2019.
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