Airbus is investigating a manufacturing quality issue affecting fuselage panels on several dozen A320-family aircraft, with the defect beginning to impact near-term deliveries. The suspected production flaw involves manufacturing tolerances detected during production checks, prompting expanded inspections across A320neo airframes. The discovery comes as Airbus pursues an ambitious 820-aircraft delivery target for 2025, requiring record December performance. No aircraft already in service have been affected, and Airbus has not yet publicly commented on the matter.