FAA Proposes Airworthiness Directives for Airbus A320-Family and A350 Fleets

The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed two new airworthiness directives (ADs) affecting Airbus SAS commercial aircraft — one covering the A318, A319, A320, and A321 narrowbody family and a second covering the widebody A350-941 and A350-1041. Both proposals were published as notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs) and share a public comment deadline of November 23, 2026. Both actions are governed by 14 CFR Part 39.

Wing Thrust Spigot Corrosion: A318/A319/A320/A321

The first proposed AD targets all Airbus SAS Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes and was prompted by a finding that severe corrosion could occur on slotted nuts located at the wing thrust spigots. According to the document, three in-service occurrences of severely corroded slotted nuts led to loss of the interfacing portion with the spigot sleeve, identifying a risk of complete migration of the spigot sleeve. The affected part is slotted nut part number D57250182200, located at the wing thrust spigot of both wings.

The document states that corrosion of an affected part, if not detected and corrected, could lead to loss or migration of the spigot sleeve, and that the unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in degraded pylon and wing structure integrity. The proposed AD would require repetitive general visual inspections of the wing spigot fitting area of each wing fitted with an affected slotted nut for a migrated or missing spigot sleeve, applicable corrective actions, and would prohibit the installation of affected parts. Corrective actions include contacting Airbus for repair instructions and accomplishing those instructions if the spigot sleeve has migrated or is missing. The proposal also requires reporting of inspection results.

The action follows EASA AD 2025-0185, dated August 26, 2025, which was issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency as the Technical Agent for EU member states. The FAA notes that Model A320-215 airplanes are not certificated by the FAA and are not included on the U.S. type certificate data sheet, and therefore are not included in this proposed AD's applicability. The docket is identified as FAA-2026-11803; Project Identifier MCAI-2025-01392-T.

Emergency Evacuation Safety Hook: A350-941 and A350-1041

The second proposed AD covers all Airbus SAS Model A350-941 and -1041 airplanes and was prompted by a finding that a girt bar fitting safety hook on an airplane in the production line was found stuck in the upward position due to excessive sealant applied between the girt bar fitting and door mat. The document states that investigations confirmed the root cause as excessive sealant application, causing mechanical interference with the safety hook's range of motion.

According to the document, this condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to girt bar disengagement from the girt bar fitting assembly with consequent passenger door slide deployment failure during an emergency, possibly preventing safe evacuation of airplane occupants. The proposed AD would require a detailed inspection of each passenger/crew door girt bar fitting assembly for discrepancies — including a safety hook that is stuck in the upward position or obstructed by excessive sealant — and applicable corrective actions. Corrective action includes removing excessive sealant and applying a thin layer of sealant. The proposed AD would also provide additional maintenance requirements, including prohibiting the use of certain maintenance procedure tasks.

This action follows EASA AD 2025-0244, dated October 30, 2025. The docket is identified as FAA-2026-11802; Project Identifier MCAI-2025-01451-T. In both cases, the FAA states it is acting pursuant to its bilateral agreement with the relevant State of Design Authority, which notified the FAA of the unsafe conditions.

What to Watch

The FAA must receive comments on both proposed ADs by November 23, 2026. Comments referencing Docket No. FAA-2026-11803 address the A318/A319/A320/A321 wing spigot proposal; comments referencing Docket No. FAA-2026-11802 address the A350 girt bar proposal. Confidential Business Information submissions for both dockets should be directed to Aviation Safety Engineer Camille Seay at FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198. The FAA states it will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend the proposals based on those comments.

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