Airlines worldwide faced delays and cancellations on Saturday after Airbus issued an alert indicating that up to 6,000 A320 aircraft may require software upgrades. The warning followed the discovery of a technical malfunction on a JetBlue flight in October. Airbus advised operators to take “immediate precautionary action” after determining that intense solar radiation could potentially corrupt data critical to flight control systems, affecting a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service.
Most aircraft can have the software replaced in a few hours, but around 1,000 planes will require several weeks to complete the process, according to a source familiar with the issue. Airlines are adjusting schedules to minimize disruption, while notifying affected passengers individually via SMS and email.
On Friday, Air France canceled 35 flights as it assessed the impact on its operations, while Colombian airline Avianca reported that 70 percent of its fleet had been affected by the software issue. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency confirmed that Airbus had informed regulators and stated that while the measures may temporarily disrupt flight schedules, passenger safety remains the top priority.
