Limited impact, at least in Europe, of the A320 crisis
Airlines have worked throughout the night to resolve the problem, which even affects the Pope's plane.
BarcelonaThe crisis caused by the alert issued by Airbus affecting its A320 model has had a limited impact on air traffic, at least in Europe, although it is more significant in other continents, such as America and Japan, with more cancellations. In Europe, and in Spain, some flights are experiencing delays, but there are not many cancellations. Overnight, technicians from Airbus and the airlines worked to enable the aircraft to update the affected software and be able to fly.
In fact, it was a long night for the technicians, and even the plane used by Pope Leo XIV on his first official trip to Turkey and Lebanon was affected by this problem. A technician was traveling to Turkey today to update the affected software so that the Pope can continue his tour without problems.
Aircraft manufacturer Airbus issued an alert on Friday regarding its A320 family of aircraft, the world's best-selling family, because the software of one of the flight systems' computers could be affected by exposure to solar radiation. Most airlines indicated that they quickly carried out the software update recommended by the European manufacturer, a day after the incident was announced. The issue affected more than 6,000 aircraft, half of all of this single-aisle model used on short- and medium-haul routes.
Initially, Airbus indicated on Friday that 85% of the aircraft only required a software update that could be performed remotely and would only keep them grounded for a short time. However, the remaining aircraft, approximately 1,000, required more extensive changes, including hardware replacements, which could keep them out of service for weeks.
This Saturday, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot clarified that the number of aircraft that would ultimately have to remain grounded was lower, estimating it at "around one hundred." With fewer planes affected, he said, the repairs would be carried out more quickly, thus limiting the impact on air traffic.
The incident was triggered by a malfunction in the control systems during a JetBlue flight on October 30th between Cancún and Newark, New Jersey, which experienced a sudden drop in altitude, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing. Expert analysis revealed that the problem stemmed from the systems being exposed to intense solar radiation, at a level they had not previously been tested for, prompting Airbus to implement these modifications. Hundreds of flights were canceled on Friday, although airlines were mostly able to accommodate affected passengers on other flights, limiting the actual impact of the outage. In France, Air France canceled 35 flights on Friday and plans to cancel around 20 more on Saturday, but it is expected that no passenger will be stranded throughout the day, when the situation is expected to return to normal. Germany's Lufthansa also updated its aircraft systems overnight and does not anticipate any cancellations, although it does not rule out flight delays. The impact has also been limited for Portugal's TAP, Britain's EasyJet, Belgium's Brussels Airlines, and Switzerland's Swiss, which have not canceled any flights, as has Spain's Iberia, whose technicians worked throughout the night to carry out the required updates. More impact outside Europe
Outside of Europe, the impact is greater. Japan's ANA has canceled 65 flights, Australia's JenStar around 100, the Philippines' PAL and Cebu Pacific 80, and Mexico's Volaris has not specified the number but announced suspensions and delays until Sunday. Colombia's Avianca, with a strong presence in several Latin American countries, indicated that 70 percent of its fleet would undergo upgrade operations, which will cause "significant disruptions" to its flights, without providing details. Airline teams are working hard in the United States to prevent operations from affecting their flights during a weekend that is especially complicated due to the large number of flights expected for the Thanksgiving holiday. French authorities, who along with Germany are the main shareholders of Airbus, have highlighted the manufacturer's swift response, which in their view has prioritized transparency and passenger safety over the potential reputational damage caused by this incident. "He has made it clear that safety is his priority, above stock market performance or securing new orders," said the French Transport Minister.
