Mon Dec 01 09:30:00 UTC 2025: News Article:
Thousands of Airbus Planes Grounded Worldwide Due to Solar Radiation Vulnerability
London, UK – A major software flaw impacting thousands of Airbus A320 family aircraft has led to widespread groundings and flight disruptions worldwide. The issue, discovered after an incident involving a JetBlue Airways flight that experienced a sudden altitude loss, stems from the potential for intense solar radiation to interfere with onboard flight control computers.
Around 6,000 A320, A318, A319 and A321 aircraft – approximately half of Airbus’s global fleet – are affected. The vulnerability was exposed after an investigation into an October incident where a JetBlue flight en route from the US to Mexico made an emergency landing in Florida after at least 15 people were injured during a sudden loss of altitude.
Airbus discovered that at high altitudes, solar radiation could corrupt the software which calculates a plane’s elevation.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive, mandating the issue be addressed before affected aircraft can carry passengers again.
For roughly 5,100 aircraft, a software update, taking around three hours, resolves the issue. Airlines like Wizz Air have already completed the update on their affected aircraft, resuming normal operations. However, approximately 900 older planes require physical replacement of onboard computers, resulting in longer grounding periods dependent on parts availability.
Aviation analyst Sally Gethin described the situation as “very much out of the ordinary,” anticipating passenger disruption dependent on airlines’ upgrade strategies.
While some airports, like London Gatwick, experienced disruptions, others, such as Heathrow and Manchester, reported minimal impact. British Airways and Air India are understood to be less affected. Air France is facing delays and cancellations at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport. Easyjet expects and is managing some disruption.
In the United States, American Airlines reports 340 affected planes, anticipating some delays, while Delta Airlines believes its operations will be minimally impacted. Jetstar in Australia has cancelled 90 flights, expecting continued disruption despite ongoing updates.
Tim Johnson, policy director at the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, acknowledged the potential for delays and cancellations, emphasizing the rigorous maintenance programs that make aviation a safe form of transport. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated the UK impact appears limited and praised the swift response to address the issue, highlighting global aviation safety standards.
Airbus has apologized for the anticipated operational disruptions to passengers and customers. The A320 family are known as “fly by wire” planes, where a computer processes pilot actions rather than direct mechanical links to flight controls.
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