Airbus, the Netherlands-based aerospace giant headquartered in France, must conduct a mandatory software update for its A320 passenger jets after information has come to light that solar radiation can corrupt key flight control data, potentially causing pilots to lose control of their aircraft.
The FAA joined the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in requiring airlines to address the issue with a new software update.
The incident happened on Oct. 30 during a flight from Cancún, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, leading to a diversion to Tampa, Florida.
An investigation determined that intense solar radiation was a contributing factor, revealing a vulnerability in the A320’s systems. The European Authority for Aviation Safety (EASA) issued a directive requiring operators to install the fix, noting that it could lead to “short-term disruption” in flights.
More than 500 U.S.-registered aircraft will be affected.
American Airlines, a main operator of A320 aircraft, confirmed it has identified about 209 of its 480 A320-family aircraft in need of the update, although the true number may be lower. The carrier initiated the process on Friday, saying they expect most of the work to be completed no later than Saturday.
The fix should take about two hours for many aircraft, American Airlines said.
Delta Air Lines reported that the issue affects fewer than 50 of its A321neo models. United Airlines said six of its planes were affected and that it expected minor disruptions. Hawaiian Airlines said none of its fleet is affected.
Nippon Airways, in Japan, canceled 65 domestic flights for Saturday, with additional cancellations possible for Sunday. It operates more than 30 planes.
Mike Stengel, a partner at AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace consulting firm, described the situation as challenging but manageable.
“Definitely not ideal for this to be happening on a very ubiquitous aircraft on a busy holiday weekend,” Stengel said. “Although again the silver lining being that it only should take a few hours to update the software.”
He noted updates will likely occur between flights or during maintenance overnight.
The A320 family, Airbus’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft, is a direct competitor with Boeing’s 737 series.
Massive solar storms strike Earth periodically. These storms have the ability to interrupt navigation and communications, as shown by the 2023 solar flare that shortly interrupted aircraft signals.
