Thousands of passengers faced global flight disruption this weekend after the aerospace giant, Airbus, announced one of the biggest recalls in its 55-year history.
Airbus requested immediate software updates to thousands of A320-series aircraft after discovering intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. About 6,000 planes required modifications.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said the impact on UK airlines was expected to be “limited”. She said: “Passengers who are due to fly this weekend should check with their carriers for the latest information.”
British Airways said only three of its aircraft were affected, and easyJet said it had already completed the update on many aircraft and was hoping to operate flights normally on Saturday. Wizz Air said the software update was implemented on all its affected aircraft on Friday night and no further disruption is expected
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said it is not expecting any disruption to its flight schedule at this stage. A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said the recall only affected a small number of airlines, but could result in some disruption.
Several flights were cancelled in Japan and Australia. Airlines in the United States, Europe and India warned the recall could cause flight delays or cancellations.
Europe’s Airbus announced on Friday that analysis of a recent event involving an A320 had revealed the risk to data from solar radiation. The company said: “Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers.”
The incident that led to the recall is reported to involve a flight operated by low-cost US airline JetBlue from Cancún, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, on 30 October. Several passengers were hurt after a sharp loss of altitude. The aircraft was reported to have dropped about 100 feet in seven seconds, with about 15 people, including children, taken to hospital. The US Federal Aviation Administration launched an investigation into a “flight control issue”.
The Airbus recall occurred during one of the biggest travel weekends of the year for Thanksgiving. American Airlines said 209 of its planes were affected and that it expected “some operational delays”.
Airlines worked overnight on Friday to install the required modification, helping to prevent widespread disruption. Most planes only needed a quick software update and on Saturday thousands of planes were being returned to normal service.
The single-aisle A320 was launched in March 1984 and is now one of the workhorse jets of the global fleet. It is a popular option for low-cost airlines and last month became the best-selling passenger aircraft in history, overtaking the Boeing 737.
Photograph by Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images