Airbus has detected a quality issue with the surface protection coating on the fuselage of a significant number of narrow-body A321 neo planes, and around a dozen such aircraft operated by IndiGo are also impacted, according to sources.
IndiGo and Air India operate A321 neo aircraft. Together, they have around 190 such planes.
An Airbus spokesperson on Friday said during some standard rework a surface protection deviation on stringers located at the lower front section of the fuselage was identified affecting a number of A321 aircraft.
“The source of the issue has been identified, contained and a remedy is available. All newly coated stringers conform to all requirements,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson said the aircraft can continue to operate and that “this is a quality issue, not a safety issue”.
Around a dozen of A321 neo planes with IndiGo have been impacted, the sources said while there is no impact on the aircraft in the Air India fleet.
The airline has a fleet of over 430 planes, including more than 180 A321 neo aircraft. Air India has around nine A321 neo planes.
There was no official comment from IndiGo and Air India.
The sources said some part of the fuselage has to be repainted and the work has to be completed within two years.
To address the issue, the Airbus spokesperson said the rework does not require any disassembly of the stringers. “Once rework is applied, the aircraft is considered to be back as if at nominal design”.
