Airbus stops the A320s: following an emergency landing, it emerged that the control software of these models is vulnerable to the most intense solar radiation, with obvious, potentially serious, safety repercussions. There are currently around six thousand flights recalled, with inevitable delays and cancellations all over the world.
What happened
On October 30, a JetBlue flight between Cancún, Mexico, and Newark, near New York, had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, because the control software showed signs of malfunction, putting the safety of passengers and crew at risk.
All those present on the plane escaped completely unharmed, but the accident deserved an analysis to understand its causes: the subsequent study demonstrated that this software is vulnerable to intense solar radiation
Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation could compromise data essential to the operation of flight controls – the company writes in a statement – Airbus has therefore identified a significant number of aircraft currently in service that could be affected
Airbus’ decision
Airbus has therefore decided to stop all flights operated by the A320 Family, with the aim of replacing the control software on all aircraft with one tested with more intense solar radiation.
Airbus has proactively worked with aviation authorities to require operators to take immediate precautionary action via an Operator Alert Broadcast (AOT) in order to implement available software and/or hardware protections and ensure fleet safety. This AOT will be transposed into an Emergency Airworthiness Directive of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
At the moment there are around 6000 flights involved, with inevitable inconveniences all over the world.
Airbus recognizes that these recommendations will cause operational disruption for passengers and customers. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with the operators, keeping safety as our top priority
