Global Flight Disruptions After Airbus Orders Immediate Repairs to 6,000 A320 Jets

AP

An Airbus A320neo takes off for its first test flight at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, southwestern France, in 2014.

Airlines worldwide faced cancellations and delays heading into the weekend after Airbus ordered urgent repairs to 6,000 of its A320-family aircraft — more than half of the global fleet — in one of the largest recalls in the manufacturer’s 55-year history.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued the directive on Friday evening as a “precautionary action”. The fix, which involves reverting to earlier software, is considered relatively straightforward but must be completed before aircraft can return to service, according to a bulletin seen by Reuters.

The recall comes only weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered commercial aircraft model. At the time the instruction was issued, around 3,000 A320-family jets were airborne.

The order caused disruption across several major markets, coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Delta Air Lines said fewer than 50 of its A321neo aircraft were affected, while United Airlines confirmed issues on six aircraft, resulting in minor delays. Hawaiian Airlines reported no impact.

American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, said 340 of its 480 A320-family aircraft required updates, predicting most would be completed by Saturday, with each fix taking around two hours.

In Australia, Jetstar cancelled domestic flights, while Japan’s ANA Holdings cancelled 65 domestic services on Saturday and warned of possible further disruption. ANA and its affiliate Peach Aviation are Japan’s largest operators of Airbus single-aisle jets.

Lufthansa, IndiGo and easyJet also confirmed temporary withdrawals of aircraft to carry out the software intervention. Avianca, whose fleet is heavily reliant on A320-family aircraft, said more than 70% of its jets were affected and temporarily suspended ticket sales for travel until 8 December.

In the UK, only three British Airways short-haul aircraft require updates, with no operational impact expected. Gatwick airport said a small number of its airlines were affected, while Heathrow reported no disruption late on Friday.

Airbus said the recall followed an incident involving an A320-family aircraft in which intense solar radiation may have corrupted data essential to flight-control systems. Industry sources linked the issue to a JetBlue flight on 30 October from Cancún to Newark, during which the aircraft experienced a sudden altitude drop, injuring at least 15 passengers and prompting a diversion to Tampa.

The problem was traced to the ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer) system, which relays pilot commands to the aircraft’s pitch controls. The computer is manufactured by Thales, which said the component met Airbus specifications and that the affected functionality relies on software outside its responsibility.

The recall comes amid significant pressure on global aircraft maintenance facilities, already dealing with shortages of capacity and the grounding of hundreds of jets due to unrelated engine inspections and repairs.

UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the impact on British carriers appeared “limited”, noting that only a small number of aircraft required more complex software and hardware work.

There are currently around 11,300 A320-family aircraft in service worldwide. First flown in 1987, the A320 was the pioneering commercial jet to feature fly-by-wire controls, and today competes primarily with Boeing’s 737 MAX.

Sources: The Guardian, Reuters and Associated Press.



PUKMEDIA