newstodate.aero

Oct 05, 2023 (newstodate): On September 12, 2023, EASE issued an Airworthiness Directive calling for stricter fuselage inspections for the Airbus A321 P2F.
   As part of the converted aircraft's certification process, a new airframe stress calculation was completed, revealing elevated fatigue stress levels in specific regions that could potentially lead to the development of cracks under the current inspection procedures.
   This raised concerns among airlines using Airbus A321 P2F aircraft, including Lufthansa Cargo that is now operating four units on its European short-haul freighter network.
   However, EASA later cancelled the Airworthiness Directive as errors in the calculation method were detected.
   newstodate brought the issue to Lufthansa Cargo:
   -Lufthansa Cargo and its contracted operator Lufthansa CityLine are aware of the Airworthiness Directive for A321P2F freighters and its cancellation. As flight safety is our highest priority, we are closely monitoring the situation, responds Lufthansa Cargo's press service.  
   -At this stage, however, neither notification has a direct impact on our operations. The AD requires an inspection after approximately 30,000 flight cycles. Our longest running A321P2F currently has 21,000 cycles, so we are still several years away from that date.
   Among the latest additions to Lufthansa Cargo's A321F network, Lufthansa Cargo launched a weekly service from September 28 to Helsinki, continuing to Copenhagen and returning to Lufthansa Cargo's hub at Frankfurt Airport.
   Copenhagen is also served with a second freighter on a once-weekly basis directly to and from Frankfurt.
   And from November 4, 2023, the carrier will include Stockholm Airport on its European short haul freighter network: the flight will originate at Frankfurt, heading for Helsinki and continuing to Stockholm before returning to Frankfurt for transfer of cargo shipments to flights Lufthansa's international route network.