Airbus has warned that a large portion of its active A320 family jet fleet will require a software fix following a recent incident involving a JetBlue aircraft that revealed that “intense solar radiation” can corrupt data that helps keep flight controls working.
The company reported that a significant number of aircraft in the A320 fleet, which totals more than 6,500 jets, could be impacted by the necessary correction, according to a statement sent by the European manufacturer on Friday. A separate directive from regulators determined that the update must be done before the aircraft’s next scheduled flight.
“Airbus recognizes that these recommendations will cause operational disruptions for passengers and customers,” the company said.
The warning follows a concerning incident that occurred on October 30 when a JetBlue plane flying from Cancun to Newark, New Jersey, suffered a computer failure, resulting in a sudden and unexpected pitch downward without pilot intervention. No one was injured, and the jet diverted to Tampa, Florida. A subsequent investigation revealed that one of the aircraft’s rudder-elevator computers — known as ELAC 2 — malfunctioned.
The discovery could become a big problem for Airbus, as the A320 family is, by far, the company’s most used. Some airlines have already started making updates. American Airlines Group Inc. said about 340 jets are affected, and the vast majority will receive the update today and tomorrow.
“While we expect some delays as we make these updates, we are focused on limiting cancellations — especially as customers return from holiday travel,” the company said in a statement.
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According to people familiar with the situation, most jets can receive a simple upgrade directly from the cabin, with minimal downtime. However, about 1,000 older jets will require a hardware upgrade and will have to be taken offline during maintenance, said the sources, who declined to be identified as this is non-public information.
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air said it “immediately scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the identified mitigation.”
As a result, some weekend flights may be affected, said the company, which operates an all-Airbus fleet.
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Airbus’ announcement comes during one of the busiest travel seasons in the U.S., with the migration of millions of people for the Thanksgiving holiday in full swing. Airlines and travelers have already faced disruptions caused by bad weather and the recent government shutdown, which caused a partial reduction in aircraft movements.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the region’s regulator, said A320 operators will need to replace or modify each affected ELAC with a serviceable system.
The regulator said the emergency alert followed the recent “uncommanded and limited pitch-down event” experienced by the JetBlue aircraft. Although the autopilot remained engaged during the flight, the result was “a brief and limited loss of altitude,” EASA said of the incident.
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“Preliminary technical assessment by Airbus identified a malfunction of the affected ELAC as a possible contributing factor,” EASA said. “This condition, if not corrected, could lead, in a worst-case scenario, to uncommanded rudder movement that could result in exceeding the structural capacity of the aircraft.”
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said separately that airlines operating the affected aircraft will in some cases have to change software in the coming days or keep the planes on the ground from Sunday, although only some UK airlines will be affected. British Airways, the UK’s largest airline, will have no impact on passengers, the regulator said.
The A320 is the competitor to Boeing’s 737 model, and both jet families are mainstays of the civil aviation industry. Airbus has already faced problems with engines on its newest A320neo jets, made by Pratt & Whitney, which have forced hundreds of aircraft to be temporarily taken out of service for maintenance.
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The A320 is operated by a system called fly-by-wire, which relies on electronic controls rather than hydraulic mechanisms. The ELAC system, which stands for Elevator Aileron Computers, helps manage critical flight parameters such as stabilizer trip and ensures the aircraft remains within the prescribed flight envelope, preventing excessive or accidental commands.
Airbus launched the aircraft in question in the late 1980s, and the success of the model transformed the European manufacturer into the global leader, overtaking Boeing. The A320 family today includes the smaller A319 model, the classic A320 and the larger and increasingly popular A321. Airbus equipped the aircraft with more efficient engines about a decade ago, the so-called new engine option, or neo.
The fix announced today includes both the A320neo and the classic, older A320 family, Airbus said.
Onboard software is increasingly critical to flight stability in modern aircraft, although a malfunctioning system can have catastrophic consequences. Boeing suffered two accidents in quick succession a few years ago involving its latest 737 Max, after a software system called MCAS failed in flight.
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