Recently, serious problems arose in the aviation world when it became known that intense solar radiation could affect the operation of computers controlling the flight of Airbus airplanes. As a result, thousands of flights were delayed. This was reported by the BBC.
According to preliminary estimates, about 6,000 A320 aircraft, which make up half of the entire Airbus fleet, faced this issue. However, most of them will be able to return to the skies after a simple software update.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority warned of potential "disruptions and cancellations of flights," but the scale of the impact on airports is expected to be limited.
The discovery of the flaw occurred after an incident in October, when a flight operating between the USA and Mexico unexpectedly lost altitude. More than 15 people were injured as a result of the emergency landing in Florida.
The vulnerability affects not only the A320 but also other models such as the A318, A319, and A321. About 5,100 Airbus aircraft can be fixed with a quick update, which usually takes about three hours.
However, 900 older models will require physical replacement of onboard computers, and they will not be allowed to carry passengers until the work is completed. The duration of this process will depend on the availability of the necessary computers for replacement.
Airbus noted that they understand this will lead to "disruptions for passengers and customers" and apologized for the inconvenience caused.
Aviation expert Sally Getin commented on the situation, describing it as "absolutely unusual." She noted that the level of inconvenience for passengers will vary depending on how airlines implement the updates.
"Lufthansa, for example, may suspend its flights, while other companies are confident that it will not affect their schedules," she added.
At UK airports, minor disruptions have been observed so far. Gatwick reported "some disruptions," while Heathrow did not record any flight cancellations.
Different airlines are experiencing varying consequences: British Airways, it is known, will not be significantly affected by the situation, while Wizz Air and Air India have already begun updates.
EasyJet also expects "some disruptions," but later clarified that it has already completed updates on many of its aircraft and plans to finish the work by Saturday.
In the USA, the software issue arose over the Thanksgiving weekend, one of the busiest travel periods. American Airlines reported that its 340 aircraft are also affected and expects "some operational delays," but most updates will be completed by Friday or Saturday. Delta Airlines assesses the impact as "limited."
In Australia, the budget airline Jetstar canceled 90 flights, noting that this affected about a third of its fleet.
Tim Johnson, Director of Policy at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, stated that the notification from Airbus could lead to "disruptions, delays, or cancellations of flights in the coming days." He emphasized that aviation remains one of the safest modes of transport due to strict service standards, and mass flight cancellations are extremely rare.
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander noted that "the impact on British airlines appears to be minimal," adding that "it is good that the problem was identified and quickly resolved, which reflects high safety standards for flights worldwide."
"Precautionary Measures"
The flaw identified in the A320 aircraft is related to the software responsible for calculating altitude. Airbus determined that at altitude, data may be distorted due to solar radiation.
This led to the incident in October when the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, although the manufacturer claims it was the only case. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency directive mandating the resolution of the issue before the aircraft can resume passenger transport.
They will be allowed to perform so-called "ferry flights" without passengers to be taken to maintenance locations.
The A320 aircraft operate on a fly-by-wire control system, meaning there is no mechanical connection between the controls and the components responsible for flight—the pilot's actions are processed by a computer.
