Airbus, one of the world’s largest commercial passenger jet makers, has ordered an immediate software fix on a “significant” number of its A320 aircraft following an incident last month in which one of its planes suffered a sharp loss of altitude.
In a statement issued Friday, Airbus says analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. The European aircraft manufacturer says an emergency software update needs to be done before an airplane’s next routine flight, admitting it could lead to a number of airplanes being grounded until the fix is implemented.
“Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers,” read a brief statement from Airbus. “We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.”
There are believed to be more than 11,000 A320 Family aircraft operating around the world.
A spokesperson with Air Canada tells CityNews that very few of their Airbus fleet use the version of the software in question, and they do not expect any impact on their operations at this time.
WestJet and Porter Airlines do not employ the Airbus aircraft in their fleet.
However, passengers on Canadian airlines connecting to flights in the U.S. or abroad that use Airbus may be affected if those flights are delayed or cancelled.
The emergency repairs were ordered after a JetBlue flight from Mexico to New Jersey on October 30 suffered a flight control problem that led to a sharp drop in altitude, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Florida. Several passengers aboard the flight suffered “non-life threatening” injuries, according to the airline.
