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Airbus has temporarily grounded thousands of its aircraft after identifying that intense solar radiation can interfere with the flight control computers onboard, potentially affecting flight safety. This discovery has caused widespread delays globally, particularly impacting the manufacturer’s A320 family, which includes the A318, A319, A320, and A321 models. Approximately 6,000 planes, representing about half of Airbus’s worldwide fleet, are believed to be affected. Fortunately, most of these aircraft can resume flights following a swift software update designed to fix the issue.
The problem came to light following an incident last October involving a JetBlue Airways flight travelling between the United States and Mexico. The plane experienced a sudden, unexpected loss of altitude and had to make an emergency landing in Florida, resulting in injuries to at least 15 passengers. Airbus then commenced an investigation that revealed the vulnerability in the flight control system caused by solar radiation at high altitudes. Of the affected planes, roughly 5,100 can be corrected with a three-hour software update, while the remaining 900 older models require a physical replacement of their onboard computers, making those aircraft unable to carry passengers until the repairs are completed.
In the United Kingdom, regulators have warned that “some disruption and cancellations to flights” may take place, although major airports such as Heathrow and Manchester have reported minimal operational impact so far. Gatwick Airport acknowledged experiencing “some disruption.” Airlines’ experiences vary: British Airways reportedly faces little effect, whereas Wizz Air and Air India are actively performing the software updates. Air France has suffered the greatest disruption, cancelling around 50 flights at its Paris hub on a recent Saturday morning. EasyJet expected some service interruptions but noted that many aircraft had already been updated and hoped to maintain a full schedule.
Across the Atlantic in the United States, the problem surfaced during the busy Thanksgiving travel period. American Airlines disclosed that 340 planes were affected and predicted some operational delays, although most updates were expected to conclude over the weekend. Delta Airlines anticipated limited disruption to its services. In Australia, Jetstar cancelled 90 flights due to around one-third of its fleet being affected and expects the disruption to continue through the weekend despite ongoing software updates. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority acknowledged the disruption as a “very rare event,” while emphasizing aviation remains “one of the safest forms of transport” because of strict maintenance regimes. The UK Transport Secretary also commented that the issue’s swift identification and resolution shows the robustness of global aviation safety standards.
At the technical level, the concern centers on a software component responsible for calculating aircraft altitude. Airbus determined that strong solar radiation at cruising altitudes can corrupt this data, which may interfere with flight control systems. This caused the October incident but has not been reported to have occurred again. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has issued an emergency directive requiring the problem to be fixed prior to any passenger-carrying flights. Aircraft may still operate “ferry flights” without passengers to reach maintenance centers. The affected Airbus models use a “fly-by-wire” system, where pilot commands are translated through computers rather than direct mechanical linkages, which heightens the importance of reliable software in managing flight control
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