Older Airbus planes must now get new safety checks for their wings

The US aviation regulator is adding more Airbus planes to a list that requires new safety checks. This means more older Airbus A300 and A310 series aircraft will need inspections for cracks in their wing structures.

Aviation safety rules are often updated after specific incidents or new engineering analyses. This change means that a wider range of older aircraft, some of which have been flying for decades, are now considered to have a potential safety issue that needs to be addressed. Airlines operating these planes will face new maintenance costs and potential downtime.