Airbus trims jet delivery goal after A320 panel flaw and massive software recall

With input from the Guardian, CNBC, BBC, and Reuters.

Airbus is dialing back how many planes it expects to hand over this year after hitting yet another snag with its bestselling A320-family jets.

The European planemaker now says it will deliver “around 790” commercial aircraft, down from its previous target of 820. The cut comes on the heels of two separate problems affecting the A320 line: a huge software recall and a newly discovered fuselage panel defect.

Over the final weekend of November, airlines around the world were forced to cancel and delay flights after Airbus ordered an urgent software fix on about 6,000 A320s — more than half of the global A320 fleet. The update was needed after it emerged that intense solar radiation could interfere with flight control computers. At one point, roughly 3,000 A320-family jets were in the air as the recall rolled out.

Most of that software work was wrapped up by Monday. But then Airbus found a separate quality issue: some metal fuselage panels near the front of certain A320-family aircraft weren’t the right thickness.

A presentation to airlines, reported by Reuters, showed that 628 aircraft will need inspections:

• 168 jets already in service;
• 245 on the assembly line;
• 215 in earlier stages of production.

The suspect parts were supplied by Spanish firm Sofitec Aero and sit just behind the cockpit on either side of the forward doors. Airbus says the problem is not a flight safety risk — the panels can still handle expected stresses — but inspections and potential repairs are slowing the flow of deliveries.

Despite the delivery cut, Airbus is not changing its financial guidance. The company is still targeting about €7 billion in adjusted operating profit and roughly €4.5 billion in free cash flow for the year, betting that strong demand and the profitability of the A320 line will help offset the disruption.

Airbus shares had dropped nearly 7% earlier in the week as investors worried about “another Boeing-style” quality saga. But after the company clarified the scale of the issue and reset its delivery goal, the stock bounced, rising more than 3–4% in Wednesday trading.

The fuselage issue is just the latest headache in a long run of supply chain problems for Airbus, from engine delays (notably with Pratt & Whitney) to parts and seat shortages. Even so, the A320 family recently overtook Boeing’s 737 as the most-delivered jet model in history — a reminder that, glitches and all, Airbus is still very much in the lead in the global single-aisle market.