Grounded Airbus A320s Return to Service Even as Fresh Fuselage Panel Issues Emerge

Last week, Airbus ordered a global recall of roughly 6,000 A320-family jets after a serious software glitch tied to solar-radiation effects disrupted flight-control data - a move triggered by a pitch-down incident aboard a JetBlue A320.

Airlines around the world grounded affected aircraft until the software could be reverted or patched; most of the fleet was back in service within days, with fewer than 100 jets still awaiting updates.

But the drama did not end there. On December 1, Airbus disclosed a separate "supplier quality issue" affecting metal fuselage panels on a limited number of A320-family jets. The company said the problem was contained, and that newly produced panels meet all standards.

According to internal presentations, up to 628 aircraft - including 168 already in service, 245 nearing delivery, and another 215 in early production — will undergo inspections. So far, there is no evidence of a safety risk, and no immediate additional groundings have been imposed.

The twin setbacks have unsettled investors: Airbus shares dropped as much as 10 percent following the panel-quality disclosure. The metal-panel issue is already affecting delivery schedules, prompting Airbus to trim its 2025 delivery target from around 820 jets to about 790.

Despite these challenges, Airbus says it is working to complete inspections and delivers only fully compliant aircraft to customers. The company has urged airlines to check any potentially affected jets - especially those in final production or recent delivery.