Sun Strikes Airbus: Solar Radiation Grounds Thousands of Planes for Software Fix

Recently, thousands of Airbus planes were temporarily grounded after the company discovered that strong solar radiation could interfere with their flight control computers. This issue was found after an incident in October, when a JetBlue flight between the US and Mexico suddenly lost altitude and had to make an emergency landing in Florida, injuring at least 15 people. Airbus investigated and realized that the computers on their A320 family of planes, which includes the A318, A319, A320, and A321 models, could be affected by intense solar radiation at high altitudes. This radiation could corrupt the data used by the computers to calculate the plane’s elevation, which is crucial for safe flying.

About 6,000 planes were affected, which is half of Airbus’s global fleet. For most of these planes, the problem could be fixed with a simple software update that takes about three hours to install. Airlines like Wizz Air and EasyJet quickly updated their planes overnight, allowing them to return to normal service the next day. However, around 900 older planes need their onboard computers physically replaced, which will take longer because it depends on how quickly new computers can be delivered and installed. These planes are not allowed to carry passengers until the replacement is complete, but they can fly empty to maintenance facilities.

The UK’s aviation regulator said there would be some disruptions and cancellations, but the impact at airports like Gatwick, Heathrow, and Manchester has been limited so far. Some airlines, such as British Airways and Air India, were not heavily affected, while others, like Air France and Jetstar in Australia, experienced more delays and cancellations. In the US, the issue came up during the busy Thanksgiving travel period, but airlines like American Airlines and Delta said most updates would be finished quickly and the impact would be limited. Aviation experts say this kind of mass grounding is very rare, and it shows how seriously airlines and regulators take safety. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency both praised the quick response, saying it demonstrates the high safety standards in aviation. The A320 family uses a “fly by wire” system, where pilots’ commands are sent to the plane’s controls through computers, making it essential that these systems are protected from any interference.