Global air travel is facing major disruption after aerospace giant Airbus issued an immediate recall of around 6,000 of its A320 family jets, which make up almost half of the model’s worldwide fleet.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an urgent directive stating that “precautionary measures” were prompted by a recent incident.
According to the studies, intense solar radiation could destroy critical data in flight control computers.
Industry sources identified the triggering event as an Oct. 30 JetBlue flight from Mexico to the United States that experienced a sudden drop in altitude, injuring 15 passengers.
The recall involves reverting to a previous software version for the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC).
While the update itself is fairly simple, it must be completed before each aircraft can return to service, forcing airlines around the world to fly on the ground.
With the immediate fallout, American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, said 340 of its 480 planes need the update.
In Japan, All Nippon Airways (ANA) canceled 65 flights on Saturday 29 November.
Colombian airline Avianca, with over 70% of its fleet affected, halted ticket sales for future travel.
The timing coincides with the busy US Thanksgiving holiday weekend. However, the UK Transport Secretary noted that the impact on UK airlines appeared “limited”. This recall marks one of the largest in Airbus’ 55-year history.
