Airbus says it is urgently recalling about 6,000 A320 planes to replace software vulnerable to solar radiation, following an incident in late October in the United States.
In a statement released on Friday, Airbus requested all affected customers to immediately cease flights while the software is replaced.
The incident occurred on 30 October during a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, near New York. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, where local firefighters reported injuries among passengers.
Airbus revealed that the technical analysis of the incident showed that intense solar radiation might corrupt critical flight control data.
For most aircraft, the software update will take only a few hours. However, around 1,000 planes will require hardware replacements, which may take several weeks. The affected hardware is a depth and aileron control unit (ELAC) manufactured by Thales.
Thales, a supplier to Airbus, stated it was not responsible for the software issue, clarifying that the software in question was developed and maintained by another company. Airbus has not disclosed the name of the software developer.
The European manufacturer acknowledged the disruption this situation might cause to operators and passengers. It apologised for the inconvenience and pledged to work closely with its customers, while placing safety as its highest priority.
The Airbus A320, first introduced in 1988, is the world’s best-selling aircraft. In September, it surpassed Boeing’s 737 narrow-body jet, which has been in service since 1968.
By the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 A320s globally, narrowly exceeding Boeing’s figure of 12,254 deliveries of the 737.
JetBlue has not commented on the incident, despite being contacted by news outlets.
Rival American Airlines confirmed that it began updating the affected software shortly after Friday’s notification and expects the update to cover “the vast majority” of its 340 affected A320 aircraft by Saturday. The airline anticipates minimal delays during the process.
United Airlines, which also operates A320 aircraft, stated it is “not affected” by the defect but did not provide further details.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) also issued a statement acknowledging Airbus’ recall. While EASA noted that there might be short-term disruptions to flight schedules, it emphasised that ensuring safety remains the aviation industry’s top priority.
