Global A320-familly fleet hit by major Airbus software recall

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), issued an urgent instruction yesterday evening to operators of the Airbus A320-family aircraft to carry out immediate software modifications following a recent mid-air incident which raised concerns over the type’s flight control systems. The move affects a significant number of A319, A320 and A321 jets in service worldwide, potentially leading to short-term operational disruptions for airlines. It comes after analysis of a recent event involving an A320 aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. It becomes one of the biggest recalls Airbus has faced in its 55-year history

The European manufacturer confirmed the directive relates to the aircraft’s elevator and aileron control computer, which under rare conditions may process corrupted data, resulting in uncommanded flight-control inputs, including abrupt nose-down movements. Airbus has recommended reverting to an earlier software version until a permanent fix is validated. Most aircraft are expected to be returned to service within hours once the update is completed, although a smaller portion of the fleet may require hardware checks, prolonging the grounding. "Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority", the manufacturer said.

The incident which has led to the recall involved an A320 experiencing an uncommanded and limited pitch down event. The autopilot remained engaged throughout the event, with a brief and limited loss of altitude.

The former Yugoslavia’s two national carriers, Air Serbia and Croatia Airlines, both operate A320-family aircraft. Air Serbia has said all its flights are operating as planned and that none of its aircraft require the update. "All of our aircraft are fully operational and our flight schedule is running as planned", the carrier noted. On Saturday afternoon, Croatia Airlines also confirmed that none if its aircraft required software updates. 

 

 The region’s largest airline, Wizz Air, is an all-Airbus operator. The carrier’s spokesperson confirmed that some of its aircraft are among those requiring a software update flagged by Airbus. The airline says necessary actions were performed overnight on all impacted frames and all flights should be operating normally throughout the weekend. Lufthansa warned that a small number of flight cancellations or delays may occur over the weekend and confirmed it is fully complying with all manufacturer and regulatory requirements, having already begun implementing the measures prescribed by Airbus. On the other hand, Turkish Airlines said only eight of its aircraft are impacted and will be safely returned to service after completing the required actions

Today, a total of 281 flights in the former Yugoslavia are scheduled to be operated by the A320-family fleet or 54.8% of all operations in the region.