Airbus urgently urges A320-family operators to fix serious problem, can disrupt flight schedules worldwide
Airbus has issued an urgent directive for its A320 family due to a newly identified software problem. Intense solar radiation can corrupt critical flight control data, affecting thousands of aircraft worldwide.
New Delhi: Airbus has urgently urged all of its A320-family operators to fix a newly identified software problem. It should be fixed as soon as possible, as the problem could affect thousands of aircraft and their flight-control systems.
The directive of Airbus takes effect on Saturday, and it was sent after finding out that an "intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls." Notably, on October 30, a JetBlue A320 unexpectedly went downward without the input of the pilot, as per reports.
More than 350 jets grind to halt in India
Due to the problem and its ensuing solution, over 350 A320-family aircraft that the IndiGo and the Air India groups operate in India will be grounded for 2–3 days. The DGCA notified on Saturday, "Inspection and/or Modification on the following subject is mandatory. Please make the necessary amendment in the mentioned Mandatory Modification List. This is to ensure that no person shall operate the product which falls under the applicability of this Mandatory Modification except those who are in accordance with the compliance to requirements of Mandatory Modification (s)/ applicable Airworthiness Directive(s)."
Around 6,000 aircraft have been affected worldwide, and while most of them can be fixed with a software change, around 1,000 older planes will need hardware changes. Notably, the JetBlue A320 incident reportedly showed Airbus that solar flares can corrupt flight-control data, and it has set out to repair that immediately. In aviation, heightened solar activity like solar flares or coronal mass ejections can affect the electronic systems of an aircraft.
Since Airbus and its main rival Boeing together control over three-quarters of the world's commercial aircraft fleet, the former's urgent appeal has disrupted flights significantly, especially in the United States, where the likes of American Airlines and Delta have been affected. Due to one of the largest recalls in Airbus’ 55-year history, especially during the peak US holiday travel season, airlines are scrambling to fix the issue.