Airbus A321 inspections now consider flight hours, not just calendar time

The US aviation regulator has updated its rules for inspecting certain Airbus A321 airplanes. Inspections for cracks in the cabin floor beams must now account for how many hours the plane has flown, in addition to how much time has passed since the last check.

Previously, inspections were based only on calendar time, which meant planes that flew less often still had to be checked as frequently as heavily used ones. This change means that planes with lower flight hours will get more time between inspections. This could reduce maintenance costs for airlines that do not fly their A321s as often.