Airlines around the world have canceled hundreds of flights and tried to adjust schedules, as a serious Airbus SE software glitch threatened to disrupt the crucial holiday travel season, Bloomberg reports, writes UNN.
Details
The European aircraft manufacturer said on Friday that the necessary fix could affect more than 6,500 aircraft. A directive from the European aviation safety regulator stipulates that the software update must take place before the next scheduled flights of the affected aircraft.
Airlines rushed to implement updates for the affected A320 jets, grounding flights and disrupting the plans of thousands of travelers, in a rare global recall of Airbus's best-seller.
Colombian Avianca SA said that more than 70% of its fleet was affected and that it was suspending ticket sales until December 8. Japanese ANA Holdings Inc. canceled 95 flights on Saturday, affecting approximately 13,200 passengers.
In the US, where a record Thanksgiving travel period is underway, operators of some 1,600 A320 family aircraft sought to implement the fix while minimizing disruptions. Airlines and travelers have already had to contend with disruptions caused by bad weather and a recent government shutdown that led to partial air traffic reductions.
American Airlines Group Inc. said that as of 6 p.m. local time on Friday, fewer than 150 of the 209 affected aircraft still needed the update.
Most aircraft can be easily updated from the cockpit with minimal downtime, according to people familiar with the situation. But about 1,000 older aircraft will require an actual hardware update and will have to be grounded for maintenance, said the sources, who asked not to be named discussing non-public findings.
Hungarian discount carrier Wizz Air Holdings Plc, which has an all-Airbus fleet of about 250 aircraft, warned that some flights would be disrupted over the weekend as it "immediately scheduled" maintenance for its aircraft.
On Saturday, flights were canceled in Australia and New Zealand, causing travel disruptions as Qantas Airways Ltd. subsidiary Jetstar and Air New Zealand Ltd. grounded some of their A320s for software updates.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom said that airlines flying affected aircraft will in some cases have to change the software within the next few days or remain grounded from Sunday, although this only applies to some British airlines. British Airways Plc, the largest carrier in the UK with a fleet of almost 150 A320 family aircraft, will not experience any impact on passengers, the regulator said.
FlightAware, which tracks delays and cancellations, showed that 452 flights, or 20%, were delayed on Saturday at China Southern Airlines Co. As of 12:00 Hong Kong time, EasyJet Plc had 323 flights, or 21%, disrupted.
Addition
The urgent software fix, issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency late Friday, came after a recent incident involving a JetBlue Airways Corp. jet that showed "intense solar radiation" could corrupt data that helps keep flight control systems functioning.
The discovery is a significant headache for Airbus, given that the A320 family is the company's most common aircraft, with more than 11,000 in operation. The sudden update requirement was unwelcome news for airlines as well, especially those that rely on Airbus as their sole fleet supplier.
"Airbus acknowledges that these recommendations will lead to disruptions for passengers and customers," the manufacturer said.
The A320 competes with Boeing Co.'s 737, and the two jet families are the workhorses of the civil aviation industry. Airbus has already had to deal with engine problems on its new A320neo aircraft with Pratt & Whitney engines, which forced hundreds of aircraft to be temporarily taken out of service for maintenance.