Emergency Airbus A320 Update Disrupts Flights

Airbus, the European aerospace giant has issued an urgent request for software updates on a “significant number” of its A320 Family aircraft currently in service worldwide, raising concerns about potential flight disruptions across the globe.

The affected fleet includes the A319, A320, and A321 models, widely used by airlines in Asia, Europe and North America.

“Intense solar radiation may corrupt data crucial to the functioning of flight controls,” prompting the emergency software modifications.”- Airbus Statement

The company has worked with aviation authorities and issued an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT), which will be reflected in an Emergency Airworthiness Directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Airbus acknowledged that implementing the updates “will lead to operational disruptions” and apologized for the inconvenience caused, emphasizing that safety remains its top priority.

Industry sources estimate that as many as 6,000 aircraft could be affected.

The issue came to light after a U.S. airline reported a sudden drop in altitude on one of its A320 Family jets last month, causing injuries to several passengers. (Agencies)