⚠️ Skies on Alert: Airbus Update 🚀

Tech & Science

An Airbus directive mandating immediate software updates for 6,000 A320 aircraft has triggered widespread flight disruptions globally. As Reuters reported, this encompasses over half of the 11,300 A320 jets currently in operation. American Airlines is the largest operator of the narrow-body A320 model, with a fleet of 480 aircraft; the directive requires that 340 of these planes undergo the two-hour update during one of the busiest travel weekends in the United States. Speaking to CNBC, an American Airlines spokesperson stated that the “overwhelming majority” of planes would be completed throughout the night, with only a small number remaining to be updated by November 29th. The recall is also significantly impacting Asian carriers reliant on A320s for short-haul flights. Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) was forced to cancel 95 domestic flights scheduled for Saturday, affecting more than 13,000 passengers. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive following an incident on a JetBlue flight on October 30th. Airbus determined that an analysis of the event revealed “that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.” Specifically, solar flares – bursts of electromagnetic radiation from the sun – are known to cause radio blackouts and disruptions to satellite and GPS signals.