Airbus recalls 6,000 A320 aircraft for software fix

Milan, Nov. 29 (LaPresse) – Several airlines worldwide have canceled or delayed flights ahead of the weekend after Airbus announced on Friday that it had ordered immediate repairs for 6,000 of its A320 aircraft, following an incident on a JetBlue flight that revealed intense solar radiation can corrupt critical flight control data. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a directive requiring A320 operators to address the problem. The agency stated that this could cause “short-term disruptions” to flight schedules. American Airlines is among the carriers complying with the order. The airline has begun identifying and completing the software update and expects the work on the vast majority of its A320s to be completed Friday and Saturday. The solution should take about two hours for many aircraft. American has around 480 aircraft in the A320 family. About 340 of them have been identified as needing the software replacement, but American believes the actual number will be lower. Delta stated that the issue should affect fewer than 50 of its A321neos. United said it is not affected. At least 15 JetBlue passengers were injured and hospitalized after the October 30 incident on the flight from Cancún, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey. The aircraft was diverted to Tampa, Florida. Airbus is registered in the Netherlands but has its main headquarters in France. The A320 remains one of the most widely used aircraft models in the world.