WORLD (Enmaeya News) - December 2, 2025

Airbus confirmed Monday that it has identified a new industrial quality problem involving metal fuselage panels on a limited number of A320-family aircraft, marking the latest setback for the world’s largest planemaker as it races to meet its 2025 delivery targets.

The issue, first reported by Reuters, involves defects found in several dozen fuselage panels supplied for A320-family jets. The discovery has already delayed some deliveries, according to sources familiar with the matter.

“Airbus confirms it has identified a quality issue affecting a limited number of A320 metal panels,” the company said in a statement. “The source of the issue has been identified, contained, and all newly produced panels meet requirements.”

Airbus said there was no indication that any affected panels had reached aircraft currently in service. Despite that, shares fell as much as 11% during trading on Monday and closed down 5.9%.

The discovery comes just days after Airbus ordered a large-scale software update across more than half of the global A320 fleet to address a vulnerability caused by solar flares. Airbus did not disclose the name of the supplier.

Following news of the recall, Middle East Airlines issued a statement confirming its compliance with the software recall issued by Airbus.

Fewer than 100 aircraft still require deeper hardware repairs, and operations began returning to normal on Monday.

Traders told Reuters that shares of major customers, including Lufthansa and easyJet, also slipped following the news.