Airbus Grounds Thousands of Aircraft Amid Solar Radiation Software Glitch
Airbus has grounded thousands of its planes worldwide after discovering that intense solar radiation can interfere with onboard flight control computers, potentially affecting aircraft safety and causing global delays.
Approximately 6,000 A320 planes, half of Airbus’s global fleet are believed to be affected. Most are expected to return to service following a quick software update. The UK’s aviation regulator warned of “some disruption and cancellations,” though airport impacts remain limited.
Airbus identified the issue following an October incident involving a JetBlue Airways flight between the US and Mexico, which suddenly lost altitude midair. The plane made an emergency landing in Florida, injuring at least 15 passengers.
The vulnerability affects Airbus’s A318, A319, A320, and A321 models. About 5,100 planes can be fixed with a software update taking roughly three hours. The remaining 900 older aircraft require physical replacement of onboard computers before they can resume carrying passengers. The timeline for these replacements depends on component availability.
Airbus acknowledged that the situation will disrupt operations and issued an apology. Aviation analyst Sally Gethin described the event as “very much out of the ordinary,” noting that passenger impact depends on individual airline approaches. She cited Lufthansa possibly taking planes out of service, while other carriers expect minimal disruption.
In the UK, airport disruptions have been limited. Gatwick reported “some disruption,” while Heathrow has not seen any cancellations. British Airways is minimally affected, while Wizz Air and Air India are already carrying out software updates. EasyJet expects “some disruption” but has completed updates on many aircraft and plans full service by Saturday.
In the US, the issue coincided with Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel periods. American Airlines reported 340 affected planes, expecting “some operational delays,” with most updates scheduled for completion over the weekend. Delta Airlines anticipates limited impact.
In Australia, Jetstar cancelled 90 flights after confirming that about a third of its fleet was affected.
Airbus Acknowledges Delays
Tim Johnson, policy director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, warned that Airbus’s notice “may mean some disruption, delays, or cancellations over the coming days.” He reassured the public that aviation remains “one of the safest forms of transport,” and described the mass-grounding as a “very rare event.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander noted that UK airline impact appears limited and praised the swift identification and planned resolution of the problem as evidence of high global aviation safety standards.
Precautionary Action Taken
The issue involves a computing software component that calculates a plane’s elevation. Airbus found that at high altitudes, intense solar radiation can corrupt the data, which caused the October incident. According to Airbus, this was the only known occurrence of its kind.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive, requiring the problem to be addressed before aircraft carry passengers again. Planes are permitted “ferry flights” without passengers to reach maintenance facilities.
The A320 family of aircraft uses “fly-by-wire” technology, where cockpit controls are processed by a computer rather than directly connected mechanically to the flight systems.
