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DGCA Grounds Certain Airbus A320 Family Aircraft Over Solar Radiation Concerns

New Delhi – November 29, 2025 – India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an order barring airlines from operating specific Airbus A319, A320, and A321 aircraft, effective Sunday, November 30th, at 5:30 AM. The ban is a direct result of a safety alert issued by Airbus, revealing that intense solar radiation may corrupt critical flight control data in a “significant number” of A320 Family aircraft.

The alert follows an incident on October 31st involving a Jetblue flight experiencing a brief, uncontrolled descent. Investigations traced the problem to the ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer) system, which is crucial for controlling the aircraft’s pitch.

Airbus has identified the need for either software or hardware modifications for nearly 6,000 aircraft worldwide to ensure flight safety. The DGCA’s order mandates that airlines complete these urgent modifications before resuming operations of the affected aircraft. The DGCA has granted a temporary allowance for airlines to move affected aircraft to major maintenance hubs before the ban takes effect.

IndiGo, the largest operator of A320 family aircraft in India, with over 350 planes, and Air India, with 127, are significantly impacted. Airlines are working to implement the necessary software updates, which can be performed between flights and take approximately two hours. However, older aircraft requiring hardware replacements may face grounding.

Both IndiGo and Air India have reported progress, with 60% and 40% of their respective affected fleets already updated. Air India stated their engineers were working “round-the-clock.”

Airbus has acknowledged the potential for operational disruptions and apologized for the inconvenience, emphasizing that safety remains their top priority. Airlines have informed pilots of potential flight duty disruptions. The availability of Portable Maintenance Access Terminals for software uploads at all maintenance bases remains a potential challenge.

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