Airlines worldwide cancel flights as Airbus requires software upgrades for up to 6,000 A320 aircraft following technical malfunction investigation
PARIS: Air travel faced significant disruptions worldwide as airlines scrambled to address Airbus’s urgent software upgrade requirement for up to 6,000 A320 family aircraft.
The European aircraft manufacturer issued an alert on Friday instructing clients to take immediate precautionary action after evaluating a technical malfunction on a JetBlue flight in October.
Airbus warned that intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to flight control functioning, potentially affecting a significant number of in-service A320 family aircraft.
Software replacement will take only a few hours for most planes but could require weeks for approximately 1,000 aircraft, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Air France was calculating additional Saturday cancellations while notifying affected customers individually by SMS and email.
The airline cancelled 35 flights on Friday, while Colombian carrier Avianca reported 70% of its fleet impacted by the software issue.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency acknowledged the measures might cause short-term schedule disruptions but emphasised that safety remains paramount.
Thales, manufacturer of the flight control computer, confirmed its component met all technical specifications and certification requirements.
However, the French aerospace company clarified that the problematic functionality involved software not under its responsibility.
The alert followed an October 30 incident where a JetBlue A320 experienced an in-flight control issue and sudden nosedive between Cancun and Newark.
Pilots made an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, with US media reporting passenger injuries.
JetBlue confirmed it had already begun necessary changes on some A320 and A321 models without commenting specifically on the incident.
American Airlines reported updating software on approximately 340 affected aircraft, expecting most to be serviced by Saturday but acknowledging resulting delays.
United Airlines initially claimed no impact but later identified six affected aircraft and anticipated minor flight disruptions.
Delta Air Lines expected to complete necessary updates by Saturday morning.
Air India warned of delays while Avianca predicted significant disruptions over the next ten days.
Philippine carriers Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific grounded at least 40 domestic flights, offering refunds or rebooked tickets.
The A320, in production since 1988, remains the world’s best-selling aircraft with 12,257 units sold by September end, slightly ahead of Boeing’s 737 with 12,254 sales. – AFP
