Airbus has declared that a recently identified problem affecting A321neos is a “quality issue not a safety issue,” and that aircraft “can continue to operate”.
On September 25, 2025, an Airbus spokesperson confirmed to AeroTime, that “during some standard rework a surface protection deviation on stringers, located at the lower front section of the fuselage, was identified”.
According to The Air Current, the issue could affect more than 500 aircraft, including A321neos already in service and those yet to be delivered from Airbus facilities.
Airbus claimed that the “source of the issue has been identified, contained and a remedy is available,” and that “all newly coated stringers conform to all requirements”.
“The rework doesn’t require any disassembly of the stringers,” the Airbus spokesperson said. “Once rework is applied, the aircraft is considered to be back as if at nominal design.”
According to The Guardian, shares in Airbus fell more than 1% after news of the quality issue was published.
It remains to be seen what impact the quality issue will have on aircraft deliveries. The European planemaker is currently ramping up A320 family production towards 75 aircraft per month by the end of 2027.
So far this year, Airbus has delivered 475 aircraft, against 434 at the same point in 2025. In July 2026, Airbus reaffirmed its ambition to deliver around 870 commercial aircraft in 2026.
A330neo deliveries stalled over summer
The latest quality issue comes in the wake of A330neo deliveries being severely hampered during the summer, when concerns surfaced around the aircraft’s horizontal tail plane, or horizontal stabilizer.
The problem required Airbus staff to inspect every A330neo, thereby slowing down the production system.
No A330neos were delivered in June or July 2026, while only a single A330neo was delivered, to Starlux Airlines, in August 2026.
Airbus described the issue as “isolated,” asserting that it had identified “the root cause” and that A330 deliveries had resumed.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that the issue arose when a tool was found in the structure of an A330neo during an inspection before delivery.