European regulators propose check for anti-lightning flaw on some A350 jets

European regulators have issued a preliminary warning that patches of lightning protection may have been wrongly fitted on over a dozen Airbus A350 jets, while Delta Air Lines has joined a list of carriers facing “paint issues”. The proposed safety warning marks the first time manufacturing has come under regulators’ spotlight amid a growing commercial and industrial headache over flaws on the skin of the jets, which Airbus insists are safe to fly. The EASA said in a proposed airworthiness directive that Expanded Copper Foil (ECF), designed to safely disperse lightning strikes, may not have been installed properly on the wing covers of 13 jets. If a cocktail of factors comes together - including an adjacent fastener also being incorrectly installed - then a heavy lightning strike in the same zone could lead to fuel vapour igniting and “consequent loss” of the jet, EASA said. The proposed directive calls for gradual inspections and where necessary repairs, enforcing a bulletin from Airbus, but does not call for any of the 13 planes to be grounded. An Airbus spokesperson said the draft directive is a “normal part of the continued airworthiness process”.<br/>