Air travel across several continents faced fresh disruption on Friday after Airbus announced that up to 6,000 of its aircraft need urgent upgrades.
The company instructed operators of its A320 family aircraft to take ‘immediate precautionary action’ over a software malfunction linked to intense solar radiation.
Easyjet has said customers can expect ‘some disruption’ over the coming days, while Wizzair warned flights could be disrupted over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Air France cancelled 35 flights, while Colombian carrier Avianca reported that around 70% of its fleet had been affected.
The issue centres on the aircraft’s Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), which is the system responsible for critical flight-control functions.
Airbus issued its alert after examining an incident on a JetBlue A320 flight on October 30, during which the aircraft suddenly pitched nose-down mid-journey between Cancun and Newark.
Pilots diverted to Tampa for an emergency landing. Local authorities reported that several passengers required medical assessment, though no serious injuries were confirmed.
In a notice to airlines, Airbus warned that ‘intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls’, adding that a ‘significant number’ of A320-family jets currently in service could be exposed to the problem.
The affected models include the A318, A319, A320 and A321, with software replacement required across global fleets.
For most aircraft, the update will take only a few hours. However, a source familiar with the process told AFP that around 1,000 aircraft will require work that could take several weeks.
Air France said late on Friday that it was still assessing how many additional cancellations would be needed on Saturday, adding that affected passengers were being contacted directly by SMS and email.
Avianca, which expects ‘significant disruptions over the next 10 days’, warned customers to anticipate delays and cancellations.
American Airlines confirmed it had already begun updating software on its 340 affected aircraft, adding that the majority would be completed by Saturday, though ‘several delays’ were expected.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed that Airbus had notified it and said the measures may lead to short-term timetable disruption but stressed that ‘safety is paramount’.
Airbus acknowledged that the fixes would inconvenience airlines and passengers, apologising for the operational impact.
