Airbus Contains A321neo Coating Issue, Says Planes Can Fly

Airbus says it has contained a surface-protection coating deviation found on structural components in the lower front fuselage of some A321neo aircraft, identified a remedy and determined that the affected planes can continue operating because the issue is not safety-related. The company said the deviation was discovered during standard rework on fuselage stringers, structural elements that run along the aircraft. Airbus said the source of the problem had been identified and contained, and that newly coated stringers meet requirements. The proposed rework does not require the stringers to be disassembled. The total number of affected aircraft has not been confirmed by Airbus in the supplied information. One source familiar with the matter put the global total at about 500 A321neo jets, split between roughly 250 in service and 250 in production. That estimate comes from a single unnamed source. The same source said the longer-range A321XLR is not affected. Unnamed sources cited in reports put the number of affected A321neo aircraft operated by IndiGo at around 12. The figure has not been confirmed by the airline or Airbus.