‘Significant number’ of Airbus flights could be cancelled due to solar radiation

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British Airways, easyJet and Wizz Air rely on the A320 family for their European flights

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Millions of airline passengers booked to fly on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft could find their flights cancelled while urgent modifications are made.

Wizz Air UK has already warned “some flights over the weekend may be affected”.

Airbus issued a dramatic announcement on Friday evening saying: “Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.

“Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted.” A total of 6,500 of the twin-jets are believed to be affected.

The statement from the European planemaker added: "Airbus has worked proactively with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and/or hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly.”

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) then issued an “emergency airworthiness directive”, effective from 11.59pm on Saturday 29 November, instructing operators of the affected aircraft to take action.

The equipment in question is the elevator aileron computer (Elac). It controls the elevators that change the pitch of the aircraft, and the ailerons that enable the plane to turn. The fear is that solar radiation acting on the system corrupt data – which may trigger a movement that “may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability”.

Easa’s directive says: “An Airbus A320 aeroplane recently experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch down event. The autopilot remained engaged throughout the event, with a brief and limited loss of altitude.

“Preliminary technical assessment done by Airbus identified a malfunction of the affected Elac as possible contributing factor.

“This condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability.”

Reuters is reporting that for two-thirds of the affected jets, the recall will result in a relatively brief grounding as airlines revert to a previous software version. But for around 2,000 aircraft, hardware modifications are needed – which could cause planes to be grounded for weeks.

The Airbus A320 family, which includes the A319 and A321, is now the world’s most popular shorthaul plane. It overtook the Boeing 737 in terms of deliveries last month.

According to Cirium data, the A320 family operated 1,414,516 flights in September alone – roughly 2,000 take-offs and landings every hour. Around 8 million seats depart each day on the series of aircraft.

A senior UK aviation source said: “It’s a serious issue but one which looks to be tackled very rapidly, and that in turn will exacerbate disruption to passengers.

“It’s a reminder that where passengers can take safety for granted, everyone in the aviation industry cannot and this is one of those rare occasions where decisive action is clearly needed to protect safety.”

The easyJet fleet of more than 350 aircraft is entirely composed of A319s, A320s and A321s.

British Airways’ mainline Heathrow shorthaul and Gatwick Euroflyer operations are flown entirely by Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Wizz Air has over 200 Airbus A320s and A321s, though some are currently grounded due to separate problems with their Pratt & Whitney engines.

A spokesperson for the airline said: “Wizz Air confirms that some of its aircraft are among the more than 6,500 Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide that require a software update, as recently identified by the aircraft manufacturer.

“Wizz Air has already immediately scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the identified mitigation.

“As a result, some flights over the weekend may be affected. Passengers who booked directly with Wizz Air via the website or mobile app will be notified of any schedule changes.

“The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft is always our number one and overriding priority. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by circumstances outside of our direct control.”

The Independent has asked British Airways and easyJet for a response.

Read more: Budget airlines jostle for Ukraine flight revival once war with Russia ends

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