"Airbus has cut its plane delivery target for this year after it identified a problem with the fuselage panels on its bestselling A320 family of aircraft that has forced it to inspect hundreds of jets. The world's largest plane manufacturer said it would now deliver around 790 commercial aircraft this year, a drop of 30 from its previous target of 820 planes."
"While most of the glitches were fixed by Monday, the company then identified separate quality problems on metal panels at the front of some planes. Reuters reported that a presentation to airlines showed that the total number of planes needing inspections was 628, including 168 already in service, 245 on assembly lines and 215 in an earlier stage of production known as major component assembly."
"The affected parts are the wrong thickness, following work carried out by the Seville-based supplier, Sofitec Aero, the presentation showed. The affected panels are metal skins which are located behind the cockpit, on each side of the two forward doors. There are not thought to be any safety concerns about the panels. Despite the lower delivery number, Airbus said it was sticking to its previous financial forecast, as it targets a full-year adjusted operating profit of about 7bn (6.1bn)."
Airbus reduced its delivery target to about 790 commercial aircraft after discovering fuselage panel problems on A320 family jets that required inspections. Airlines experienced cancellations and delays after Airbus ordered software fixes affecting roughly 6,000 A320s, more than half the global fleet, and inspected hundreds of aircraft. A presentation showed 628 planes need inspections across service and production stages, with 168 in service, 245 on assembly lines and 215 in major component assembly. The Seville-based supplier Sofitec Aero produced panels of the wrong thickness located behind the cockpit. No safety concerns were identified, and Airbus kept its roughly €7bn adjusted operating profit target.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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