Airbus A320 glitch hits Indian airlines: IndiGo, Air India to see possible delays, cancellations
Airbus SE has warned that over half its active A320 jetliner family fleet would need to implement a software fix.
Flight operations of several airlines, including IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express, could see disruptions as they address a possible issue related to flight controls in their A320 family planes. This comes after 15 passengers on a JetBlue-operated Airbus A320 flight from Mexico were injured after a sudden drop in altitude led to an emergency landing in Florida earlier this month.
Airbus SE has warned that over half its active A320 jetliner family fleet would need to implement a software fix. Notably, Indian operators have around 560 A320 family aircraft and over 200 of them would require software changes or hardware adjustments, sources told PTI.
Impact on flight operations
As many planes belonging to the A320 family aircraft in India and across the world undergo software changes or hardware adjustments, in some cases, operational disruptions are expected since they have to be grounded, the report said. Notably, the A320 family includes A319s, A320 ceos and neos, and A321 ceos and neos.
In separate statements, many domestic carriers have also addressed the issue and notified passengers about the disruptions. On Saturday, IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, announced that it was aware of a notice by Airbus regarding the A320 family aircraft.
“We are working closely with Airbus to ensure implementation as per Airbus notification. While we carry out the necessary inspections, we are making every effort to minimise disruptions,” it said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Air India Express said, “We have initiated immediate precautionary action in response to an alert requiring a software fix on the Airbus A320 fleet. While a majority of our aircraft are not impacted, the guidance applies to operators worldwide and may result in adjustments to flight operations, including potential delays or cancellations.”
Air India also said that it was aware of the directive and warned passengers of longer turnaround time and possible delays. “This will result in a software or hardware realignment on a part of our fleet, leading to longer turnaround time and delays to our scheduled operations.”
What did Airbus say?
In a statement, Airbus SE said that more than half its active A320 jetliner family fleet would need a software update after the recent incident involving a JetBlue Airways aircraft suggested that “intense solar radiation” could lead to corruption of data used to keep flight controls working.
It said that more than 6,500 jets could be affected by the required update. This upgrade also needs to take place before an aircraft’s next regular flight, it said in a notice.
Notably, the A320 is the rival to Boeing Co. 737 aircraft, and both jetliner families are key aircraft in the civil aviation industry.
