Airbus warns of disruption over A320 software switch
Airbus has warned of potential travel disruption as it upgrades some 6,000 operational A320 aircraft, after an incident on a JetBlue flight last month.
The European plane-maker instructed its clients to take "immediate precautionary action" after evaluating the incident.
"Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls," Airbus stated, adding that "a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service" may be affected.
Replacing the software will take "a few hours" on most planes but for some 1,000 aircraft, the process "will take weeks", a source close to the issue said.
The faulty software, the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), is made by aerospace and defence giant Thales.
"Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers," it said, apologising for the inconvenience.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the main certifying authority for the A320 family of aircraft, issued the instruction as a "precautionary action".
Although not all A320 planes will require a software update, several European airlines have these aircrafts in their fleet and could be impacted, the EASA said.
Aer Lingus said a limited number of its aircraft are affected
"The requirement will mean the airlines flying these aircraft will in some cases have to change software over the days ahead or remain on the ground from Sunday onwards until the software has been changed," it said.
"This action is likely to mean that unfortunately there may be some disruption and cancellations to flights."
Aer Lingus said that a limited number of its aircraft are affected and that the airline is taking immediate steps to complete the required software installation.
The airline said that there will be no significant operational disruption.
The A320 is the most common aircraft in the Aer Lingus fleet.
On 30 October, a JetBlue-operated A320 aircraft encountered an in-flight control issue due to a computer malfunction.
The plane suddenly nosedived as it travelled between Cancun in Mexico and Newark in the United States, and pilots had to land in Tampa, Florida.
US media quoted local firefighters saying that some passengers were injured.
Produced since 1988, the A320 is the best-selling airplane globally, with Airbus selling 12,257 of the aircraft by the end of September compared to the sale of 12,254 Boeing 737s.
