A400M gearbox fix is certified

An interim fix to address the cracking issue on the power gearbox of the A400M has been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

By Laurent ERRERA from L’Union, France (DSC_8340-EC-402Uploaded by russavia) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Planes fitted with the new part are only required to inspect the gearbox after 650 flight hours and every 150 hours subsequently.

Airbus officials say production of the new component will start immediately but it is not clear how fast can the retrofit kits be delivered to the end user.