Airbus A320 fleets worldwide are returning to normal operations after the manufacturer rapidly deployed an emergency software update, averting a prolonged crisis linked to a computer bug. The swift action came after a vulnerability to solar flares was discovered during a recent mid-air incident.
The massive recall, affecting approximately 6,000 A320-family aircraft, was prompted by a control issue on a JetBlue flight that exposed the software flaw. In response, Airbus and global regulators issued an urgent directive on Friday, ordering airlines to perform the software repair before each affected aircraft’s next flight.
By Monday, Airbus confirmed that the vast majority of the fleet had been modified. The alert, issued during the busy U.S. Thanksgiving weekend, caused some initial disruption. JetBlue canceled around 20 flights for Monday, and Colombia’s Avianca suspended bookings until December 8. However, many carriers, including UK-based easyJet and Wizz Air, completed the updates without any cancellations.
The fix involved engineers reverting the aircraft’s flight control system to a previous, stable software version using a portable device known as a data loader. The process was complicated by initial difficulties in identifying affected aircraft and, for some airlines, a shortage of the necessary equipment. A small number of older jets will require a more complex hardware replacement of their flight computers, raising concerns about potential delays amid global chip shortages.
The incident impacted markets, with Airbus shares falling by 2.9% and flight computer supplier Thales seeing a 2% drop. Industry analysts noted that Airbus’s handling of the situation reflects a significant shift in public relations strategy, influenced by the lessons learned from Boeing’s 737 MAX crisis.
In a departure from the industry’s traditionally defensive posture, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury issued a public apology. This proactive and transparent approach is seen as a new standard aimed at maintaining trust with regulators, customers, and the flying public.
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