Airbus grounds 6,000 aircraft over solar radiation risk

Highlights

• Around 6,000 Airbus A320 family aircraft grounded worldwide, affecting half the manufacturer's global fleet.
• Issue discovered following October incident where JetBlue flight experienced sudden altitude loss, injuring 15 passengers.
• Most aircraft require three-hour software update, but 900 older planes need complete computer replacement.

The vulnerability impacts approximately 6,000 aircraft from the A320 family, including the A318, A319, and A321 models. Airbus identified the problem while investigating an October incident where a JetBlue Airways flight travelling between Mexico and the US made an emergency landing in Florida after experiencing a sudden drop in altitude.

The issue relates to computing software that calculates aircraft elevation. Airbus found that intense radiation periodically released by the sun could corrupt data at high altitudes in the ELAC computer, which operates control surfaces on the wings and horizontal stabiliser

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring all affected planes to be fixed before carrying passengers again.

Global travel disruption

Around 5,100 aircraft can be addressed through a relatively straightforward software update taking approximately three hours. However, 900 older versions require physical replacement of onboard computers, with repair timelines depending on parts availability.

The disruption has impacted airlines worldwide. American Airlines reported 340 affected planes expecting some operational delays, while Australian carrier Jetstar cancelled 90 flights. In contrast, EasyJet announced it had already completed updates on many aircraft and planned to operate normally. Air France appeared most affected, with 50 flights cancelled on Saturday morning. Japan's All Nippon Airways cancelled 65 flights

UK Transport secretary Heidi Alexander stated the impact on UK airlines appeared limited, while aviation analyst Sally Gethin told the BBC that the situation as "very much out of the ordinary".

Former Qantas captain Dr Ian Getley explained that coronal mass ejections from the sun release heavily charged particles that can interfere with aircraft electronics above 28,000 feet.

Tim Johnson from the UK Civil Aviation Authority emphasised that aviation remained one of the safest transport forms, calling the mass grounding "a very rare event".