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Airbus has ordered a large portion of its single-aisle fleet to undergo an urgent software correction after engineers confirmed that bursts of solar radiation can disrupt the computers that manage altitude readings on certain aircraft.
Roughly 6,000 jets from the A320 family were flagged for inspection, about half of all Airbus aircraft in service worldwide. Most affected planes were cleared to resume operations within hours once the update was installed.
The issue came to light after an incident last October involving a JetBlue flight traveling between the United States and Mexico. The aircraft unexpectedly dropped altitude, injuring at least 15 people and prompting an emergency landing in Florida. Airbus later traced the event to corrupted data within a flight-control computer, likely triggered by high-energy solar activity.
The vulnerability spans Airbus’s A318, A319, A320, and A321 models. Airbus says about 5,100 of these aircraft can be fixed with a relatively quick software patch, typically requiring around three hours to complete. Wizz Air and several other carriers have already finished updating their fleets.
However, approximately 900 older jets require replacement of onboard computers rather than a software fix. These aircraft cannot carry passengers until the new hardware is installed, and timelines will depend on the supply of replacement units.
Airbus has apologized for the disruption and warned that some operators will experience delays, particularly those with larger numbers of older aircraft. Aviation experts describe the situation as highly unusual, noting that such widespread preventive groundings are rare.
Regulators in the UK and Europe say the operational impact has so far been modest. Gatwick reported limited disruption while other major UK airports saw few or no cancellations. British Airways and Air India appear minimally affected. Air France, EasyJet, and Jetstar in Australia reported delays and cancellations as they work through their updates. In the United States, where the issue coincided with the busy Thanksgiving travel period, American Airlines and Delta both acknowledged possible delays but said they expect the majority of fixes to be completed quickly.
Officials emphasize that safety is not in question. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an emergency directive requiring all affected planes to receive the fix before carrying passengers, though they may fly without passengers to maintenance sites. Authorities stress that such decisive steps illustrate the aviation industry’s strong safety culture.
The affected aircraft rely on “fly-by-wire” systems, meaning pilot commands are interpreted electronically rather than through mechanical linkages. This makes the integrity of onboard computers essential, especially for systems that determine altitude. Airbus says the October incident is the only known case where the radiation-related flaw caused operational problems.
Transport officials in the UK and elsewhere have welcomed the swift response, noting that the prompt identification and correction of the issue underscores the strict oversight governing modern air travel.
With information from BBC.
