Scandinavian carrier SAS is temporarily withdrawing several Airbus A320neo jets from service while it carries out checks on a specific component on the type.
The airline says it needs to inspect pressure regulator transmitters on 18 A320neos.
SAS states that this “requires pausing operations with these aircraft”, and admits that this will lead to “traffic disruptions in parts of our network”.
The airline has around 84 A320-family aircraft including A320neo models and older-variant jets.
SAS says a routine check had not been completed within the necessary timeline, and this has prompted the carrier to ground the affected aircraft temporarily.
“Safety is always our number one priority,” it adds. “Before resuming operation with these aircraft again, these checks must be carried out.
“Passengers have not been exposed to any risk at any time.”
SAS says it is “working hard” to minimise the impact of the inspections, but has not stated when the aircraft are likely to return to operation.
While it has not detailed the nature of the checks, its reference to pressure regulator transmitters suggests the inspection relates to the components installed on the crew oxygen system in the avionics bay.
