Solar radiation has caused serious software malfunction on thousands of Airbus A320 aircraft across the world forcing them to ground.
International air transport is under great pressure after the problem in the Airbus A320 aircraft causing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and large-scale disruptions to routes.
According to Bloomberg, the serious software malfunction in a critical flight control computer of the Airbus A320 appeared at the worst possible time, a few days before Christmas in Europe, America, and Asia.
Airbus has confirmed that more than 6,500 A320 aircraft – its most commercially successful model – may need an immediate software update. Increased solar radiation appears to have corrupted critical data in flight control systems.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an urgent directive requiring the upgrade to be completed before the next flight of each affected aircraft – a measure that is considered extremely stringent for fleets of this size and indicates an immediate risk to operational safety.
How the ELAC system is affected
The directive to upgrade the ELAC (Elevator Aileron Computer) that translates pilot commands from cockpit side-sticks into electronic signals that control wing ailerons and tail elevators—the surfaces managing aircraft pitch and roll. When solar radiation corrupts ELAC data, the aircraft can execute dangerous uncommanded maneuvers.
The EASA directive was previously issued after an incident that occurred on October 30, on a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark, when a sudden loss of altitude occurred without a command from the crew.
The investigation showed a failure in the Airbus A320 ELAC 2 computer, one of the main fly-by-wire controllers, which operates the rudder and other critical control surfaces. According to EASA, the cause was likely intense solar radiation that corrupted critical data. In an extreme scenario, the failure could lead to uncontrolled rudder movement and dangerous aircraft stress.
The malfunction has affected flights across the world
The ELAC malfunction in the Airbus A320 has created air transport problems across the world, forcing airlines to immediately activate emergency plans.
In Latin America, Avianca announced that 70 percent of the fleet was affected, temporarily suspending ticket sales until December 8. – a rare measure for an international carrier.
In Asia, Japan’s ANA canceled 95 flights in one day, affecting 13,200 passengers. In China hundreds of delays were reported in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, with China Southern and EasyJet facing major problems.
In Oceania, Jetstar and Air New Zealand have grounded large parts of their A320 fleets, with significant impacts on already overburdened airports.
In Europe, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has called for either immediate upgrades or grounding of the affected aircraft. British Airways, which has around 150 A320s, said it did not expect any major impacts.
There is also pressure in the U.S. where Thanksgiving travel has reached record levels, around 1,600 A320s need upgrades. American Airlines said that of its 209 affected aircraft, fewer than 150 were pending as of Friday evening, a sign of efforts to limit delays.
Around 1,000 older A320s to be upgraded
While most aircraft are updated remotely and take just a few minutes, around 1,000 older Airbus A320s need equipment replacement and a longer stay on the ground. As a result, delays could continue for days or even weeks.
Analysts estimate that the impact will continue for several days and passengers will face major delays and flight changes.
At the same time, airlines with an all-Airbus fleet, such as Wizz Air and Jetstar, will face pressure on their schedules.
Airbus and regulators emphasize that the problem was identified relatively quickly and that its upgrade will fully restore safety.
Greek airlines say flights remain unaffected
Aegean says there is no cause for concern regarding the A320 aircraft. The airline stated that it has already completed the necessary software update and that its flights are operating normally.
“Aegean has promptly completed Airbus’ directive – the airline’s flight schedule continues as usual.”
Aegean explains that, following last night’s instruction from Airbus to immediately restore software on certain A320-family aircraft, it activated all required operational and technical procedures without delay.
“The directive has already been successfully implemented and the flight schedule continues without any changes. The safety of our passengers and crews is our non-negotiable priority.”
Sky Express flights are also operating normally. According to the airline, “none of its aircraft are among the 6,000 A320-family planes that require a software upgrade.”
“SKY express informs the traveling public that the recent Airbus directive, which affects 6,000 A320-family aircraft, has no impact on our fleet or our flight schedule, as our aircraft are not part of the series requiring the upgrade. All SKY express flights are operating normally and operations continue without interruption.”
