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Airbus fleets have returned to normal operations after a software issue that could have affected flight controls was fixed faster than expected.
The manufacturer issued an alert about the problem affecting the A320 family of aircraft on Friday after analysis of a flight involving an A320 showed “intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls”.
Dozens of airlines said they had carried out the snap software retrofit over the weekend, with Airbus confirming on Monday the “vast majority” of around 6,000 of its A320 fleet affected by the software issue had been modified.
“We are working with our airline customers to support the modification of less than 100 remaining aircraft to ensure they can be returned to service,” Airbus said.
“Airbus apologises for any challenges and delays caused to passengers and airlines by this event.”
Meanwhile, the manufacturer discovered an industrial quality issue affecting fuselage panels of several dozen A320-family aircraft, leading to a delay of some deliveries, industry sources said on Monday. There are said to be no indications the suspected production flaw has reached aircraft in service.
The incident that triggered the software warning involved a JetBlue A320 plane flying from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark in the US on 30 October.
That flight was diverted to Tampa International Airport after it suffered a flight control issue and experienced a sharp loss of altitude, which injured at least 15 passengers. “Intense solar radiation” is suspected of contributing to the flight’s sudden drop in altitude.
America’s aviation watchdog issued an emergency order to immediately replace or modify the software, mirroring one from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
Airbus is understood to have traced the issue to the ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer) system,…
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