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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a proposed directive for Airbus A319ceo, A320ceo, and A321ceo aircraft following guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The directive targets potential cracks on Airbus A320-family narrowbody jets equipped with Sharklets, a wingtip device, requiring repetitive inspections to ensure structural integrity.
The need for inspections emerged after cracks were identified during fatigue tests for the new lower wing cover material on Sharklet-equipped aircraft. The FAA warned that failing to address these cracks could compromise wing integrity. This proposed directive, issued as a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on April 16, builds on EASA's reference directive from December 2, 2024.
EASA’s directive requires repetitive inspections between rib 19 and rib 21, forward of stringer 8, on both sides of the aircraft. Airlines must seek Airbus repair instructions if they discover cracks. While EASA did not specify the number of affected aircraft, the FAA estimates that 1,924 A319ceo, A320ceo, and A321ceo aircraft in the US might require inspections. Each inspection could take up to seven working hours, costing $595 per aircraft, with a total potential expenditure of $1.1 million for all affected US aircraft.
