Airbus Alert: Solar Radiation Issue Affects 6,000 A320 Aircraft, Causing Global Flight Disruptions

Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls, Airbus announced.

Multiple airlines reported delayed or cancelled flights on Friday after Airbus issued an alert that approximately 6,000 operational A320 aircraft might require upgrades.

Air France was forced to cancel 35 flights on Friday, while Colombian carrier Avianca reported that 70 percent of its fleet had been affected by a technical issue in the European manufacturer's software.

Airbus directed its customers to take "immediate precautionary action" following evaluation of a technical malfunction that occurred on a JetBlue flight in October.

"Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls," the company stated, noting that "a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service" could be affected.

According to a source familiar with the situation, replacing the software will require "a few hours" for most aircraft, but for approximately 1,000 planes, the process "will take weeks".

Air France informed AFP on Friday evening that it was determining how many additional flights would need to be cancelled on Saturday.

"Customers affected by cancellations are being notified individually by SMS and email," a spokesperson explained.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed in a statement that Airbus had informed them about the issue.

"These measures may cause short-term disruption to flight schedules and therefore inconvenience to passengers," EASA acknowledged, emphasizing that "safety is paramount".

Aerospace and defense giant Thales told AFP that it manufactures the flight control computer, which it stated was "fully compliant with the technical specifications issued by Airbus" and certified by both EASA and its US counterpart, the FAA.

However, the company added: "The functionality in question is supported by software that is not under Thales' responsibility."

Airbus's statement did not identify which company had designed the software.

"Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers," the manufacturer said, apologizing for the inconvenience.

On October 30, an A320 aircraft operated by JetBlue experienced an in-flight control issue due to a computer malfunction.

The aircraft suddenly nosedived while traveling between Cancun, Mexico and Newark in the United States, forcing pilots to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.

US media cited local firefighters reporting that some passengers sustained injuries.

JetBlue has not yet responded to AFP's request for comment.

American Airlines, a competitor, stated it had already begun updating software following Friday's alert and expected "the vast majority" of approximately 340 affected aircraft to be serviced by Saturday, though "several delays" would result.

An Avianca statement warned passengers of "significant disruptions over the next 10 days".

United Airlines informed AFP it had not been "affected" by the incident, without providing additional details.

In production since 1988, the A320 is the world's best-selling airplane. By the end of September, Airbus had sold 12,257 of these aircraft, compared to 12,254 Boeing 737s.