E-Paper
Why Airbus A320s need a software fix, and how India is affected by plane glitch
Investigators found that “intense solar radiation” could corrupt data supporting the aircraft’s flight-control functions, prompting the EASA's order.
Airlines worldwide cancelled and delayed hundreds of flights on Saturday after a major software glitch in Airbus A320-family aircraft prompted an urgent global upgrade order. More than 6,500 aircraft could require fixes, Airbus said.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive directing operators to update software on affected jets before their next flights.
The rare global recall involves Airbus’s most widely used model with over 11,000 A320-family aircraft in service worldwide. “Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers,” the manufacturer said, reported Bloomberg.
Why the emergency fix was ordered
The emergency directive was issued after a JetBlue A320 experienced a sudden, un-commanded pitch-down on October 30, an event later traced to a malfunction in one of its elevator-aileron computers, ELAC-2.
Investigators found that “intense solar radiation” could corrupt data supporting the aircraft’s flight-control functions, prompting the EASA to order immediate software upgrades.
The regulator said a malfunctioning ELAC was identified as a possible factor and warned that “this condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability.”
While most aircraft can install the fix through a simple cockpit download, older jets will require hardware changes and temporary grounding, according to people familiar with the process.
Most of the 6,000-odd affected aircraft worldwide require software upgrades, while a smaller number may need hardware alignment.
Impact on India
India, which operates one of the world’s largest A320 fleets, moved quickly. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an Airworthiness Directive early Saturday instructing airlines to install the fix immediately.
IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express began upgrades across bases in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
According to a report by news agency PTI, citing DGCA data, of the 338 affected Indian aircraft, upgrades had been completed on 80% by 5:30 pm on November 29. All updates must be finished by 5:29 am on November 30, it added.
- IndiGo: 200 aircraft affected
- Air India: 113 affected
- Air India Express: 25 affected
According to the DGCA, IndiGo and Air India did not cancel any flights, while Air India Express grounded four flights due to the ongoing software updates, reported PTI.
Airlines said there were no cancellations, though delays of 60–90 minutes occurred at multiple airports. IndiGo and Air India both said schedule integrity remains largely intact, though “some flights may be slightly delayed or rescheduled”.
(With Bloomberg, AP, PTI inputs)
