December 1, 2025 | 07:19 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Global airlines are reportedly racing against time to fix the software on their Airbus A320 family jets following a recent disruption. This disruption affects the system that calculates the nose angle, a crucial part of the flight control system.
The A320 series is the most common passenger jet in the world, so this issue affects airlines globally. In fact, about 11,300 A320 family aircraft are operating worldwide, with approximately 6,440 core A320 model units in operation.
Quoted from Interesting Engineering, this disruption was discovered following the October 30 incident involving a JetBlue flight during which the aircraft suddenly lost altitude, resulting in passenger injuries. The flight was en route from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark when its altitude dropped suddenly. The plane landed safely, but 10 passengers were reported injured.
Initial investigations indicate that solar radiation during a solar storm may have interacted with vulnerabilities in the flight control software. This prompted the regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to promptly order the fix.
The regulator instructed the airlines to revert to an earlier, more stable version of the software until the issue is fully understood. It is important to note that the disruption is not a structural or hardware failure, nor is it a repeat of something like the Boeing MAX disaster a few years ago.
This is a software vulnerability that only emerges under certain conditions. The regulator is taking a "better safe than sorry" approach.
In response, Airbus has recalled around 6,000 aircraft to implement this fix, which is more than half of the entire A320 family jets worldwide. Airbus CEO, Guillaume Faury has also issued a public apology acknowledging the disruption. "I want to sincerely apologize to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now," Faury stated on LinkedIn.
This recall occurred during a busy travel period in the U.S. (post-Thanksgiving) and during active operational hours in Asia and Europe. In an effort to avoid mass cancellations, airlines have been working to reinstall software overnight.
The fix itself is relatively quick, with most requiring a rollback to an older and proven software version. However, some older aircraft do require hardware replacements.
The entire process takes between 2 and 3 hours per aircraft. Airlines like American, United, Delta, Wizz Air, Air India, and many others have stated that they have completed almost all updates and experienced minimal disruptions.
JetBlue is an exception as it had to cancel about 70 flights on Sunday due to its denser fleet schedule. However, the company is confident it can complete updates for its 120-strong fleet by the morning of November 30.
This incident highlights how modern aviation heavily relies on software and how cosmic radiation can affect aircraft's electronic systems. It also underscores the need to continually update and strengthen aircraft software, as well as how quickly regulators act following a frightening incident.
Editor's Choice: Airbus Recalls 6,000 A320 Jets Over Software Fault, Airlines Brace for Global Disruptions
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