Europe’s Airbus said it was ordering an immediate software changed on a “significant number” of its A320 Family aircraft – a move which could cause cancellations or delays during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The aviation company announced the news in a press release on Friday.
Airbus issues fixes on A320 aircraft
Big picture view:
According to Airbus, a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft revealed that “intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.”
Consequently, Airbus said it identified a “significant number” of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted.
FILE: Airplane flying overhead. (Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Airbus is working with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly.
What they’re saying:
“Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers,” Airbus said. “We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.”
Airlines respond
What they’re saying:
FOX Local reached out to all major airlines for more information on potential delays or cancellations related to the Airbus’ action.
“Upon notification early this morning, American took swift action to address the software issue Airbus identified as potentially affecting a significant number of Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide,” American told FOX Local in a statement, adding that they “expect the vast majority of aircraft to be complete today and tomorrow.”
“Though we expect some delays as we accomplish these updates, we are intently focused on limiting cancellations — especially with customers returning home from holiday travel. Still, our overriding priority will always be the safety of our operation. It’s all hands on deck across our airline to address this Airbus software issue and take care of any customers whose flights are affected,” the airline continued.
Meanwhile, United Airlines said they were not being affected by the actions.
A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines said, “As safety comes before everything else, Delta will fully comply with a directive and expects any resulting operational impact to be limited.”
Delta said it expects this to apply to a small portion of our Airbus A320 family fleet. Specifically, less than 50 A321neo aircraft.
‘Drop in altitude’ during JetBlue flight
Dig deeper:
According to Reuters, industry sources said the repair action stems from an incident involving a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, on October 30.
RELATED: JetBlue flight diverted to Tampa International Airport after experiencing ‘drop in altitude’
Flight 1230 made an emergency landing at Tampa, Florida, and several people were taken to hospital after a flight control problem and a sudden uncommanded drop in altitude.
JetBlue said the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection.
According to Airbus data, there are around 11,300 A320-family aircraft in operation, including 6,440 of the core A320 model.
US braces for biggest holiday travel season in years
Big picture view:
This comes amid one of the biggest Thanksgiving travel seasons in years, with millions of Americans hitting the roads and soaring through the skies to see loved ones.
AAA predicted that out of the 81.8 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles away for the holiday, 73 million would be going by car. The auto club warned that this number could grow if some chose to drive instead of fly due to flight cancellations.
The Source: The information for this story was provided by a press release from Autobus. FOX News, FOX 13 Tampa also contributed. This story was reported from Los Angeles.