Europe’s Airbus (also known as Airbus SAS) announced on Friday (November 28) that a significant number of A320 series popular passenger aircraft will undergo immediate software replacements. This decision comes after an incident related to solar radiation data damage occurred within the series.
According to Reuters, industry sources mentioned that this recall will affect approximately 6,000 aircraft, which represents over half of its global A320 fleet.
“Air Data News” also reported that around 6,000 planes are impacted by this decision.
In a statement, Airbus expressed that a recent event involving an A320 aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation could potentially damage critical data for the operation of flight control systems.
The manufacturer has identified a substantial number of active aircraft that may have similar issues. “Air Data News” reported that the company is actively cooperating with aviation regulatory authorities, urging operators to promptly take preventive measures. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will formally initiate this process through an emergency airworthiness directive.
For approximately two-thirds of the affected aircraft, airlines will need to revert to a previous software version, leading to temporary flight suspensions. Airbus anticipates that this measure will cause certain operational disruptions.
“Airbus acknowledges that these recommendations will bring operational disruptions to passengers and customers,” the company stated.
Reuters reported that American Airlines stated on Friday that due to the substantial need for major software replacements on numerous Airbus A320 aircraft, operational delays are expected. The company added that this incident affects around 340 of its aircraft.
The airline indicated that the majority of the software replacement work is expected to be completed “today or tomorrow,” with the company focusing all efforts on minimizing flight cancellations.
A spokesperson for Wizz Air in Hungary confirmed on Friday that some of the company’s aircraft are also impacted by this event.
Wizz Air mentioned that necessary maintenance work has been arranged, and some flights over the weekend may experience disruptions.
The A320 series aircraft remain a staple for many airlines serving short-haul and medium-haul routes. According to data from the UK aviation research company Cirium, as of October 8th this year, the cumulative delivery of Airbus A320 series aircraft has reached 12,260 units, surpassing the Boeing 737 for the first time and becoming the highest delivered commercial aircraft in history.