Airbus A320 recall: Why pilots could've lost control mid-air without upgrade

Airlines around the world announced delayed or cancelled flights Saturday following an Airbus alert that up to 6,000 A320 aircraft may require upgrades.

The recall of 6,000 planes covers more than half of Airbus' global A320 family fleet, the backbone of Asian short-haul aviation, particularly in China and India where economic growth has brought millions of new travellers into the skies.

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Regulators around the world followed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in directing their carriers to remedy the A320 software problem before resuming flights.

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The Airbus recall, issued to 350 operators around the world, appears to be one of the biggest in its 55-year history and comes weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered model.

Why did Airbus make the recall?

Airbus instructed its clients on Friday to take "immediate precautionary action" after evaluating a technical malfunction on board a JetBlue flight in October.

Flight 1230, from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, on October 30, made an emergency landing at Tampa, Florida. Several people were taken to the hospital after a flight control problem and a sudden uncommanded drop in altitude.

"Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls," it said, adding that "a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service" may be affected.

The US Federal Aviation Administration told carriers to replace or modify software that controls the elevators and ailerons on A319, A320 and A321 airplanes.

Replacing the software will take "a few hours" on most planes but for some 1,000 aircraft, the process "will take weeks", a source close to the issue told AFP.

What is intense solar radiation?

Media reports suggest that investigators found the software version L104 running on ELAC B hardware could be vunerable to intense solar flares.

This, in some cases, could cause the aircrafts elevators to move unexpectedly. The movement could push the plane to its structural limits.

Solar radiation is the broad mix of energy the sun sends out, ranging from visible and ultraviolet light to streams of charged particles like electrons and protons.

For aviation, periods of intense solar activity, including events such as flares or coronal mass ejections, can interfere with an aircraft’s electronic systems. These disturbances may affect critical functions such as navigation, communications, and flight-control signals.

Because of this, engineers treat solar radiation as a key consideration when designing aircraft, protecting onboard systems, and ensuring overall safety in the skies.

Global impact of Airbus recall

A Wizz Air spokesperson confirmed that some of its aircraft are among those that require a software upgrade, as flagged by Airbus. The airline has already scheduled the necessary maintenance and some flights may be disrupted over the weekend.

Air India issued an advisory, warning passengers of potential delays in their operations.

"We are aware of a directive from Airbus related to its A320 family aircraft currently in-service across airline operators. This will result in a software/hardware realignment on a part of our fleet, leading to longer turnaround time and delays to our scheduled operations. Air India regrets any inconvenience this may cause to passengers till the reset is carried out across the fleet," they said.

They requested customers to check their flight status on their website before heading to the airport and connect with their contact centre for any further assistance.

According to Airbus data, there are around 11,300 A320-family aircraft in operation, including 6,440 of the core A320 model.

Most affected airlines by Airbus recall

Here's a chart depicting which airlines fly the most Airbus A320s:

Are UAE airlines affected?

UAE carrier Air Arabia on Saturday said it is “working to ensure minimal impact” of the recall of Airbus A320 aircraft.

“We confirm that we have received the directive issued by Airbus concerning the A320 aircraft type operated by airlines worldwide, which requires a number of aircraft to undergo specific software and technical updates,” said an Air Arabia spokesperson in a statement to Khaleej Times.

UAE airlines operate 106 aircraft of the Airbus A320 family, which was recalled by the European aircraft manufacturer, according to data shared by Cirium.

Data showed that Air Arabia and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi have 67 A320 aircraft in service.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said its flights have returned to normal scheduled operations following the successful installation of the required Airbus software update across its A320 fleet.

Cirium data showed Etihad Airways has 39 Airbus A320 family aircraft in operation. Across the Middle East, 376 aircraft of the A320 family are in operation, and 48 are in storage.