How intense solar radiation triggered Airbus A320 software fix and global flight disruptions

A sudden software update at 6,000 operational Airbus A320 aircraft has forced airlines worldwide to scramble, with the company alerting operators on Friday of immediate repairs, right in the middle of the year's busiest travel weekend.

This setback, which appears to be one the biggest recalls affecting Airbus in its 55-year history, comes after a software issue caused a sudden drop in altitude of a JetBlue plane last month, the manufacturer and European aviation safety regulators said on Friday.

Airbus said an analysis of the JetBlue incident revealed that intense solar radiation may have corrupted data essential to the aircraft's flight-control systems, leading to the malfunction on the A320, AP reported.

Was anyone injured in the October incident?

No casualties were reported in the JetBlue incident which happened on 30 October, but at least 15 passengers were injured and taken to the hospital after the aircraft experienced the malfunction mid-air.

The plane, which was travelling from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, was later diverted to Tampa, Florida.

As a result of the disruption, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), an apex body under the European Union has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD), requiring the operators of Airbus A320 to address the issue on priority.

Disruptions in flight schedules worldwide

EASA and multiple airlines have already warned the flyers that the repairs could potentially cause flight delays or cancellations, though some carriers maintain that the disruptions are likely to be limited.

In Japan, All Nippon Airways, which operates more than 30 planes, canceled 65 domestic flights, scheduled to operate on Saturday. The company also said that additional cancellations on Sunday were possible.

American Airlines has about 480 planes from the A320 family, of which 209 have been impacted. The repair should take about two hours for many aircraft and updates are expected to be completed for the overwhelming majority on Friday, the airline said. A few others will be finished on Saturday, AP reported.

Whereas, Alaska Air has notified that it is not experiencing any disruptions from the Airbus software fix, and operations will continue as usual.

Will Indian airlines be impacted by the disruption?

Many airlines in India, including Air India, Air India Express and Indigo have also alerted their passengers about possible disruptions.

Air India said Airbus’s directive will require a software/hardware realignment for part of its fleet, leading to longer turnaround times and delays. The airline has already reset over 40% of affected aircraft and expects to complete the rest within the timeline prescribed by EASA.

Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of Air India, noted that while most of its aircraft will not be affected, the global guidance will still cause delays and cancellations.

The Indian budget airline Indigo said it is actively carrying out the mandated updates, adding that some flights may experience “some slight schedule changes” as it completes the “precautionary updates", as per Reuters.

All about Airbus

Airbus is one of the world's largest aircraft manufactures, competing closely with Boeing. Its A320 series is the main rival to Boeing’s 737, according to AP.

The aircraft, which is heavily used by commercial airlines around the world, is originally registered in Netherlands but has its main headquarters in France.

Just weeks before the incident, A320 successfully surpassed the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered aircraft model.