Airbus planes need new inspections for a hidden structural weakness

The US aviation regulator proposes new mandatory inspections for all Airbus A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This means airlines will need to check a specific part of the forward cargo compartment for signs of structural fatigue.

Airlines operating these common Airbus models will now have to add a new, repetitive inspection to their maintenance schedules. This adds cost and time to routine heavy maintenance checks. The issue was found during a heavy maintenance check, suggesting it might be a wear-and-tear problem that develops over time.