Air travel faces disruptions over A320 software switch

Air Travel Disruptions

Several airlines announced flight delays and cancellations on Friday following an Airbus alert that up to 6,000 operational A320 aircraft may require urgent software upgrades.

Affected Airlines

Air France cancelled 35 flights and is calculating further Saturday cancellations.
Avianca reported that 70% of its fleet was impacted, warning of significant disruptions over the next 10 days.
Wizz Air and Air India expect some weekend delays.
American Airlines began updating software for about 340 affected aircraft, anticipating several delays.
United Airlines stated it was not affected, though details were not provided.

Technical Details

Airbus issued instructions for immediate precautionary action after identifying a technical malfunction in the A320's software. The company cited that intense solar radiation may corrupt critical flight control data, potentially affecting a large number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service.

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

Replacing the software will take a few hours for most planes, but for some 1,000 aircraft, the process could take weeks.

Passenger Impact

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) confirmed that Airbus had informed them about the issue. EASA noted that these measures may cause short-term disruptions and inconvenience to passengers, but emphasized that safety remains paramount.

"These measures may cause short-term disruption to flight schedules and therefore inconvenience to passengers," EASA said.

Affected customers are being notified individually via SMS and email.

Notable Incident

On October 30, a JetBlue-operated A320 experienced an in-flight control issue due to a computer malfunction, resulting in an unexpected nosedive. The aircraft landed in Tampa, Florida, with some passengers reportedly injured.

Industry Context

The A320 is the world's best-selling aircraft, with 12,257 units sold by the end of September, slightly ahead of the Boeing 737.

Author's summary:
A widespread software issue in Airbus A320 aircraft has led to global flight disruptions, cancellations, and delays, with airlines prioritizing safety and urgent upgrades.

The Manila Times on MSN — 2025-11-29