Emergency Airworthiness Directive Affects Thousands of Airbus A320 Aircraft Globally: Indian Airlines Respond

Airbus' A-320, a popular narrow-body short haul passenger jet, is currently under scrutiny following an emergency directive.

New Delhi:

An emergency airworthiness directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has affected hundreds of Airbus aircraft operated by Air India and IndiGo. According to sources, the airlines are working to ensure complete compliance with mandatory checks by day's end, with no flight cancellations anticipated. Any delays resulting from this issue are expected to remain under 30 minutes.

The emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) has temporarily grounded up to 6,000 Airbus A320-family aircraft worldwide until essential flight control fixes are implemented.

India's civil aviation regulator DGCA has issued a 'mandatory modification' notice marked 'most urgent' to all airlines, requiring them to check and replace the component technically referred to as 'ATA 27', which involves flight controls and elevator aileron computer.

The directive affects Airbus aircraft series A318, A319, A320, and A321/5.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury acknowledged that the required fix on certain A320 aircraft has caused significant logistical challenges and delays. He offered a sincere apology to affected airline customers and passengers, emphasizing that safety remains their paramount concern when millions fly on Airbus aircraft daily.

Faury added that Airbus teams are working continuously to support operators and ensure these updates are deployed rapidly to resume normal operations with the expected safety assurance.

Air India stated that their engineers have been working around the clock to complete the necessary tasks promptly. They have already completed the reset on over 40 percent of their affected aircraft and are confident of covering the entire fleet within EASA's prescribed timeline.

The airline confirmed there have been no flight cancellations due to this issue and no major impact on schedule integrity across their network.

Meanwhile, IndiGo reported completing the mandatory Airbus safety update on 160 out of 200 mandated A320-family aircraft with minimal delays and zero cancellations. Their engineering teams are ensuring the fleet remains ready, reliable, and safe for travelers.

IndiGo further stated that the remaining aircraft will be fully compliant well within required timelines, maintaining their commitment to a smooth customer experience.

The EASA alert was triggered by a midair incident last month on a flight from Cancun to Newark. An A-320 cruising at 35,000 feet suddenly pitched nose-down without pilot input, causing a brief but alarming drop in altitude before safely diverting to Tampa.

Investigators identified a glitch in the elevator aileron computer (ELAC), a critical system that translates pilot commands to the wings and tail.

Airbus' investigation revealed that intense solar radiation can corrupt the ELAC's recently updated software, affecting critical data bits and risking uncommanded maneuvers that could potentially overload the aircraft's structure.

Airbus has mandated that aircraft with the faulty computer must replace it with a newer, safe model called ELAC L103 plus before their next flight. A short ferry flight of maximum three flights without passengers is permitted only to relocate the aircraft to a repair facility.