Quality issue hits Airbus shares
Industrial flaw affecting fuselage panels in A320 aircraft leads to delivery delays and triggers a sharp drop in stock price for the European aviation giant.
European aviation giant Airbus has identified an industrial quality issue affecting fuselage panels on its popular A320 family aircraft, sources close to the company revealed. While the defect has led to delays in some plane deliveries, there are reportedly no signs of safety risks or problems with aircraft currently in service. The timing of this development follows a recent software glitch that grounded dozens of planes, further compounding concerns among airlines and investors.
After news of the quality issue became public, Airbus shares plunged nearly 10 percent in Paris trading, making them one of the worst performers on the pan-European Stoxx 600 index. This marks the steepest daily decline for Airbus stock in a year and a half. Meanwhile, French company Thales, which provides flight system software to Airbus, also saw its shares drop by about 3.1 percent as the aviation sector reacted to the news.
Airbus has yet to issue an official statement regarding the fuselage panel defect. The company delivered 72 aircraft in November and a total of 657 planes so far this year. It remains unclear whether the 15 Airbus A320s in Turkish Airlines and AJet fleets are affected by the newly disclosed quality issue. These planes had been temporarily grounded recently due to a software problem, and the twin setbacks have left airlines and industry observers closely watching for updates on potential impacts to the supply chain and delivery schedules.
