European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has publicly acknowledged a quality issue linked to metal panels installed on its best-selling A320 passenger jets. The company, however, insists the problem has been identified and contained.
Details of the A320 Panel Problem
On Monday, December 1, 2025, an Airbus spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that a supplier quality issue was affecting a limited number of the metal panels used on the A320 family of aircraft. The company is taking a cautious approach, inspecting all planes that might be impacted.
"Airbus is taking a conservative approach and is inspecting all aircraft potentially impacted, knowing that only a portion of them will need further action to be taken," the spokeswoman stated. She added that the source of the defect had been found, contained, and that all newly produced panels now meet specifications.
Market Reaction and Broader Context
The news triggered a sharp sell-off of Airbus shares on the Paris stock exchange. Following media reports about the panel problems and potential delivery delays, the stock price fell by over 10 percent, specifically down 10.24% around 1200 GMT. It later recovered some of those losses.
This panel issue emerges shortly after another separate safety directive for the A320. Last week, Airbus advised that approximately 6,000 A320 planes required a software upgrade before further flight. This was prompted by an incident on October 30 involving a JetBlue A320, which experienced a sudden nosedive between Cancun, Mexico, and Newark, USA, due to a computer malfunction possibly caused by solar radiation.
Initially, there were fears of massive, prolonged groundings. However, by Monday, Airbus clarified that fewer than 100 aircraft remained immobilized awaiting the software update. Analysts at Deutsche Bank noted that Airbus's decision not to change its annual delivery target suggests the software issue's impact is either still being assessed or is under control.
Significance of the A320 Programme
The A320 is the world's best-selling aircraft, first produced in 1988. As of the end of September 2025, Airbus had sold 12,257 A320s, narrowly edging out the 12,254 sales of its main rival, the Boeing 737.
