Airbus flags new problem on some A320s

Airbus said on Monday it has discovered an industrial quality issue affecting metal panels of a “limited” number of A320family aircraft, confirming a Reuters report, the latest challenge for the planemaker after a weekend recall of its jets.

- Reuters [e-mail]

Airbus is beefing up efforts to meet challenging delivery targets.

The company's shares fell as much as 10%, accelerating earlier losses as the industrial issue eclipsed the impact of the planemaker's decision to ground thousands of A320 jets for a software update.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the company was inspecting all aircraft potentially affected and that only a portion of them will need further action to be taken.

“The source of the issue has been identified, contained and all newly produced panels conform to all requirements,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that it was a supplier issue but declined to name them. Airbus has both internal and external suppliers for its aerostructures.