Airbus planes will need new parts more often to fix a known safety problem

US aviation regulators are proposing a new rule that requires airlines to replace a specific part on certain Airbus planes more frequently. This means airlines will have to perform maintenance on these planes sooner and more often than before to prevent an unsafe condition.

Aviation regulators previously allowed airlines to replace a faulty valve part on Airbus planes as an optional fix. Now, they are making repetitive replacement of a smaller clip on that valve mandatory. This shifts the burden from a one-time fix to ongoing, scheduled maintenance, increasing operational costs for airlines using these specific Airbus models.