Airplane manufacturing giant Airbus may be in trouble thanks to the A320 fleet of jets. Reportedly, Airbus cut its 2025 delivery target to around 790 commercial aircraft on Wednesday, 30 fewer than previously expected, but maintained financial goals following a quality issue with fuselage panels on its popular A320 family of jets.
Reuters first reported the industrial quality problem on Monday, on the heels of an emergency recall of thousands of A320s for a software change over the weekend.
“The 30 aircraft removed from the delivery guide this year are not all expected to require a parts change,” analysts from Jefferies said in a note to investors, they highlighted the fact there was no mention of engines causing added delays in Wednesday’s statement.
READ: Airbus claims recalled A320 jets have now been fixed? (December 1, 2025)
The Airbus A320 family is facing a dual crisis involving software and manufacturing issues. In late October 2025, a JetBlue A320 experienced a sudden nose-down incident traced to a flight-control computer (ELAC) vulnerability, triggered by rare solar radiation events.
This prompted a global precautionary software update affecting around 6,000 A320-family aircraft. Airlines worldwide, including IndiGo and Air India, have updated most planes, with fewer than 100 remaining. Regulators like EASA issued emergency airworthiness directives, and while the update caused delays, no major accidents occurred.
Shortly afterward, Airbus disclosed a new fuselage-panel manufacturing flaw involving incorrect metal thickness supplied by a subcontractor. The defect affects 628 aircraft — including 168 in service, 245 in final assembly, and 215 in early production — forcing inspections and delaying deliveries.
Although Airbus states the flawed panels are not an immediate safety risk, the full scope and long-term impact of this issue remain uncertain, and it is unclear how many aircraft may eventually require panel replacement.
Reportedly, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said on Tuesday that the fuselage panel problem had also hit deliveries in November and told Reuters a decision on December deliveries would be taken within hours or days.
The company is due to publish November data on Friday. Industry sources told Reuters that it delivered 72 aircraft that month, lower than expected.
Reportedly, Airbus said its financial goals for the year were unchanged. It targets adjusted operating income around 7.0 billion euros ($8.2 billion) and free cash flow around 4.5 billion euros.
Together, these incidents have disrupted airline operations, created logistical challenges, and temporarily shaken confidence in one of the world’s most widely used jets. Most A320s are now back in operation after software fixes, but minor delays persist for aircraft awaiting inspections or final modifications.
The Airbus A320 situation highlights the complex challenges of managing a globally significant commercial aircraft program. A combination of software vulnerabilities and manufacturing issues has tested both Airbus and the airlines that rely on its jets. While the precautionary software updates have largely mitigated immediate safety risks, the discovery of fuselage-panel defects has introduced new uncertainty, affecting aircraft in service and those still in production. Despite a slight reduction in delivery targets, the company’s financial outlook remains stable, reflecting resilience in planning and risk management.
For airlines, these developments have caused temporary delays and disruptions, underscoring the reliance on a single aircraft family for high-volume operations. Overall, the situation illustrates the ongoing need for rigorous quality control, rapid response to technical issues, and clear communication to maintain confidence across the aviation industry.