New cracks found on Airbus planes force faster, wider inspections

US aviation regulators are making airlines inspect certain Airbus planes more often and for new types of cracks. This means airlines will spend more on maintenance and keep these planes on the ground for longer.

Airlines operating specific Airbus models now face higher maintenance costs and more frequent downtime for inspections. This change means regulators found the previous inspection schedule was not enough to catch all safety issues, especially after new cracks appeared in places they weren't looking.