Delays expected for 250 flights in India
Airbus asked yesterday to update the control software of the A320 aircraft, which could be damaged by intense solar radiation activity.
According to some sources, in addition to the software update, a hardware realignment may also be necessary, which would lead to heavy disruptions to operations. Indian airlines IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express have announced that between 200 and 250 flights will be delayed or canceled following Airbus’ request.
In total, Indian airlines have around 560 A320 family aircraft, but they have not disclosed the number of affected aircraft.
Airbus said in a statement that analysis of a recent event involving an A320 aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation can corrupt data critical to the operation of flight controls. “We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, keeping safety as our top priority,” the aircraft manufacturer said, adding that it had proactively asked aviation authorities around the world to ask operators for immediate precautionary action via an alert.
