Center of gravity and engine problems: worries at Airbus?

While the problems of the Boeing 737 MAX continue to be talked about and without any real visibility on when we will see it in the air again, Airbus is not without its share of worries at the moment.

The center of gravity of the A320 Neo is a problem

A few weeks ago, Lufthansa confirmed problems with the center of gravity of its A320 Neos, which would cause problems during certain critical phases. Consequently, one row of seats is neutralized until further notice. The situation is expected to last until mid-2020 when Airbus will propose a new version of its aircraft stability control system.

The same is true for British Airways, which has blocked the last row of seats (and in some cases the last two) of its A320 Neo aircrafts for similar reasons.

These decisions were taken to comply with EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) airworthiness directives, which recommend neutralizing these rows to reduce the weight at the rear of the fuselage.

Swiss grounds its A220s

Last week, Swiss grounded its A220 aircrafts for engine inspection. This follows a series of incidents (8) encountered by the Swiss airline on the aircraft’s Pratt & Whitney engines. Let’s also add that a Swiss A220 lost an engine part over France last July.

An inspection which does not give anything for the moment and the planes are little by little put back in service.

Update on 10/29/2019: EASA has finally issued a directive preventing A220s from flying full throttle above a certain altitude.

Airbus on the same slippery slope as Boeing?

Since this is such a sensitive sector, with its share of fears and emotions, and since the 737 MAX is still very much on people’s minds, public opinion (which is not always well-informed about either case) is quick to wonder whether Airbus has as much to hide or blame itself for as Boeing.

As far as the A320 Neo is concerned, it does not seem that the design of the aircraft is in question at this time. For Lufthansa, this is obviously due to the fact that the German airline operates it in a different configuration than most airlines in terms of cabin layout. And if we can be surprised that the stability control system does not natively take into account the fact that some airlines have specific cabin configurations, we are more faced with a “Lufthansa case” than an Airbus case.

As for the A220, let’s remember that the aircraft, born under the name “Bombardier C-Series”, is not of Airbus design. This does not detract from the responsibility of the aircraft manufacturer who, by “buying” the program from Bombardier, accepts both the good and the bad sides, but if there was any “lightness”, it was not at Airbus but at Bombardier or, more likely, Pratt & Whitney. But for the moment, the inspections carried out by Swiss have not led to anything.

So we are far, far away from the 737 MAX melodrama and we can continue to fly A320 Neo or A220 without any reason to worry.

Photo : Airbus A320Neo by Markus Mainka Via Shutterstock