European planemaker Airbus on Friday ordered airlines to immediately implement software fixes on thousands of A320 family planes to resolve bugs that could cause control problems during flights.
The planemaker said in a statement that analysis of a recent incident revealed an issue in which “intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to flight control functions” during a solar flare.
The problem was discovered after a JetBlue A320 flight from Cancun International Airport (CUN) in Mexico to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New York suddenly dropped in altitude on October 30, injuring 15 people.
About 6,000 aircraft worldwide are affected, accounting for more than half of the global narrow-body jet fleet, which recently surpassed the Boeing 737 to become the most-delivered commercial aircraft in history. U.S. operators currently have 1,622 A320 aircraft in service, according to data analytics firm Cirium, but not all are affected by the order.
Fortunately for the airlines, a fix appears to be coming soon — which is good news for U.S. airlines as they prepare for the holiday rush after Thanksgiving. The fix involves a software update and takes about two hours.
American Airlines, the largest operator of the A320 family, said it has 475 aircraft of this type in its in-service fleet, 209 of which are affected. As of 7 p.m. ET, fewer than 150 aircraft were still awaiting repairs, with the “vast majority” expected to be completed by Saturday morning, according to a spokesman.
“Safety is always our top priority and we thank our customers for their patience during this unexpected incident,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
A person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named, said the impact on passenger service was expected to be “minimal”.
Delta, which has a fleet of 305 A320 family aircraft, expects the number of affected aircraft to remain relatively low, with fewer than 50 A321neo aircraft identified in need of repair, according to Cirium. A spokesman said the airline planned to complete the installation of the software update on Saturday morning and expected any operational impact to be “limited”.
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United has 201 A320 family aircraft in service, but told TPG that only six aircraft are affected and that the issue does not expect to affect flight schedules.
JetBlue, which has a fleet of 220 aircraft, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While the impact on U.S. airlines may be limited, airlines in other parts of the world face greater impacts. Avianca said more than 70% of its fleet was affected, leading it to close sales of travel tickets until December 8, Reuters reported.
Still, while the impact on major U.S. airlines may prove to be limited, the issue arises during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, when Americans return home after Thanksgiving.
As always, be sure to check your flights in the airline’s app for the latest status, and follow TPG for the latest information on any travel disruptions caused by this issue.
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