As of: March 29, 2024, 7:37 a.m
By: Robin Dittrich
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Aircraft manufacturer Airbus is affected by an incident. During the flight of an Airbus A330neo, part of the fairing came off.
Salt Lake City – A Delta Airlines Airbus plane was already on its way from Salt Lake City (USA) to Amsterdam when the pilots noticed the missing aircraft part. Airbus is affected by a case very similar to that of its competitor Boeing at the beginning of the year.
Airbus plane loses component during flight
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing in particular had a difficult start to 2024. At the beginning of the year, a Boeing aircraft lost a wheel before takeoff, but the pilot noticed it in time. In March 2024, a machine arrived in Oregon with a piece of the aluminum skin missing. Many people particularly remember the part of the fairing that came off during a Boeing 737 MAX 9 flight and landed in a garden.
Part of the paneling on an Airbus A330neo operated by Delta Airlines came off shortly after take-off. (Symbolic image) © NurPhoto/Imago
Boeing's competitor Airbus announced shortly after the series of breakdowns that it planned to deliver significantly more commercial aircraft in 2024 than in the previous year. Airbus is planning 800 machines, which would be 65 more than last year. However, the aircraft manufacturer is now struggling with the same problems as Boeing. Shortly after take-off of an Airbus A330neo, a pylon plate behind the left engine came loose and fell off. The pilots apparently only noticed this several hundred kilometers later. Another Airbus plane had to turn back shortly after takeoff.
Airplane loses part of the fairing: Airbus aircraft has to turn around during the flight
It is still unclear how the pilots got wind of the missing aircraft part, as
the Associated Press
writes. After the plane returned, Delta Airlines spoke of “a reported mechanical problem” that forced the plane to turn back. After around three hours, the Airbus landed back in Salt Lake City, the 260 travelers and 13 crew members remained uninjured.
The pylon plate that came loose is used to attach engines. It is not load-bearing, but improves aerodynamics during flight. According to information from the Federal Aviation Administration's safety database, the fairing on the left wing came off. The Airbus A330neo was only built four years ago, so finding the cause of the incident is Airbus' top priority. An Airbus flight had to turn back in January due to a wasp. (
rd/ap
)