Air TransportBREAKING: Airbus announces recalls on A320-family jets after flight control incident
Airbus announced on Friday the recall of flight control software from a significant number of A320 family aircraft following a data corruption incident related to solar radiation.
The issue would affect approximately 6,000 aircraft in the family, representing more than half of the global fleet, according to Reuters.
An incident involving a JetBlue Airbus A320 during a flight from Cancun to Newark on October 30 may have prompted the global recall, said source of the outlet
The manufacturer is working proactively with aviation authorities to seek immediate preventive action from operators. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will formalize this process through an Emergency Airworthiness Directive.
For roughly two-thirds of the affected jets, airlines will need to revert to a previous software version, resulting in a brief grounding period. Airbus anticipates operational disruptions as a result of this measure.
“Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers,” the company stated.
An Airbus bulletin sent out on Friday requires A320 operators to make changes to the aircraft before the next flight, according to Reuters.
The issue would affect equipment called ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer), manufactured by Thales, which controls the elevators that regulate the pitch angle or nose angle of the aircraft.
The A320 family remains the backbone of many carriers’ short- and medium-haul operations. In October, the family surpassed the Boeing 737 as the most delivered commercial jet in history.
About the Author
Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
