Flight disruptions likely as Airbus calls for upgrades on 6,000 A320 aircraft

Guwahati: Air travellers may face delays after Airbus issued a warning on Friday that up to 6,000 active A320 aircraft might need software upgrades.

The company urged airlines to take “immediate precautionary action” after identifying a technical problem linked to an incident on a JetBlue flight in October.

According to Airbus, strong solar radiation can interfere with data essential for flight control systems. They noted that many A320-family planes currently in service could be affected.

Most aircraft will need only a few hours for the software fix, but around 1,000 planes may require several weeks, a source told AFP.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed it had been informed about the issue.

It warned that the required checks could cause temporary schedule disruptions and inconvenience for passengers, but emphasized that safety remains the top priority.

The faulty component is the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), produced by Thales. However, Thales told AFP that the specific software feature involved is not its responsibility. Airbus did not identify the exact software provider in its statement.

Airbus acknowledged that the recommended actions may lead to operational challenges and apologized for the impact on customers.

The issue came to light after a JetBlue A320 experienced a sudden control malfunction on October 30.

The aircraft briefly nosedived while flying from Cancun to Newark, forcing an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.

Local reports said some passengers were injured. JetBlue has not responded to AFP’s request for comment.

American Airlines said it has already started updating the software on its affected aircraft and expects most of its roughly 340 planes to be fixed by Saturday.

United Airlines told AFP it was not affected by the incident, but did not provide further details.