Airbus has advised some A330neo operators to anticipate possible inspections of the aircraft’s horizontal tail plane during scheduled maintenance after a quality problem was found on a jet in production.
The recommendation applies to customers already preparing aircraft for scheduled maintenance and is intended to anticipate possible future inspection requirements if their jets are ultimately included in the affected population, Airbus told AFP.
The European manufacturer is discussing the scope and timing of the inspections with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). A final list of affected aircraft and inspection intervals is expected by mid-November.
EASA has found no immediate safety concern for A330neos currently in service, according to Airbus. No grounding or immediate fleet-wide inspection has been ordered.
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The development follows a quality problem that disrupted A330neo deliveries during the summer. Airbus confirmed in September that it had detected an anomaly in the horizontal tail plane of a single aircraft in production.
The company did not publicly identify what had been found inside the structure. Reuters reported at the time, citing a person familiar with the matter, that a tool had been left inside the horizontal tail plane.
Airbus said the discovery led it to inspect A330s still in production, identify the cause and strengthen manufacturing controls.
Aircraft delivered since 2021 could be affected
The potential scope of the checks extends considerably further back than the aircraft that were still at Airbus facilities when the problem was discovered.
A330neos delivered between January 2021 and July 2026 could potentially require inspection, AFP reported, citing a source close to the matter. The final number will depend on the work now underway between Airbus and EASA.
Bloomberg also reported that Airbus had contacted airlines about inspecting some aircraft for possible foreign objects during routine maintenance.
The reports do not establish that additional tools or other foreign objects have been found in A330neos already in service. The checks are intended to determine whether the isolated manufacturing problem identified during production occurred on other aircraft.
Airbus produces the A330neo horizontal tail plane in Spain. Components are manufactured at its Illescas and Cádiz plants, while Getafe, near Madrid, is responsible for the structural assembly and equipment of the stabilizer before it is shipped to the final assembly line in Toulouse.
Deliveries were disrupted for months
The original finding had a visible effect on Airbus deliveries. The manufacturer handed over no A330neos in June or July and only one in August while it inspected aircraft in production.
Airbus subsequently said the aircraft then moving through production had been checked and could proceed toward delivery.
The company has not identified the A330neo involved in the original finding or disclosed what type of tool was reportedly left inside the structure.
The inspection population for aircraft already delivered could still be narrowed as Airbus and EASA examine production records. Until that work is completed, there is no requirement covering every A330neo delivered during the January 2021 to July 2026 period.
