The news for Koito Industries keeps getting worse. Yesterday, EASA told me it isn't ruling out an airworthiness directive, after the Japanese firm falsified safety data on 150,000 seats in the world fleet. In advance of that, however, Airbus has just released an operators information telex (OIT) on the situation.
OPERATORS INFORMATION TELEX - OPERATORS INFORMATION TELEX
TO: All A300, A310, A300-600, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A340-500, A340-600 & A380 Operators
SUBJECT: ATA 25-21 - PASSENGER SEATS - KOITO INDUSTRIES LIMITED POA SUSPENSION OUR REF: SE 999.0005/10 dated 14 JAN 2010
CLASSIFICATION: GENERAL INFORMATION
1/ PURPOSE
Airbus would like to inform Operators having aircraft equipped with Koito Industries Limited (Koito) passenger seats, that on 30 SEP 2009, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) suspended the EASA Part 21 Subpart G Production Organisation Approval (POA) for Koito; meaning that Koito cannot produce seat or seat parts for airborne use.
2/ ACTIONS TAKEN
As a first step, due to the KOITO POA suspension and to the weaknesses identified within the Koito Quality Management System, Airbus withdrew the Airbus Supplier Approval of Koito, effective 23 OCT 2009.
Airbus team is on site at Koito to support the recovery of the Koito POA and Airbus Supplier Approval.
In parallel, in relation with the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a dedicated Advisory Board, involving Airbus, Boeing, Koito, the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) and 3 operators, has been set up. This team is currently reviewing the available data, in order to determine if an issue exists on Koito seat models installed on in-service aircraft.
Airbus will keep you informed of any significant change in the situation of Koito (OEM and spare activities, status of in-service seat models) through update of this OIT.
3/ FOLLOW-UP PLAN
This OIT will be updated on or before 31 MAR 2010.
Recent Comments