Aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced on Friday that a significant number of A320 series aircraft require emergency grounding due to flight control software vulnerable to intense solar radiation, affecting eight round-trip flights in Macau on Saturday.
Airbus issued a statement regarding a recent incident involving an A320-series aircraft, indicating that intense solar radiation may have compromised critical data used by the flight control system. In light of this analysis, Airbus has coordinated with aviation authorities to alert air operators, urging them to implement immediate preventive measures to ensure safety.
Following a request from Airbus, eight round-trip flights in Macau experienced delays on Saturday, resulting in average wait times of approximately two hours. Macau International Airport Company Limited (CAM) reported that A320-type flights comprise about 60% of the total flight volume, with airlines operating this aircraft type representing 40% of total operations.
The airport emphasized that the software upgrade for A320 aircraft was a mandatory procedure required by the manufacturer to ensure fleet operational safety and compliance with technical standards. By 8:30 p.m. that evening, all 12 affected aircraft had successfully completed the upgrade. Normal flight operations resumed, and anticipated delays for some flights did not materialize.
The airport further stated that it has established a coordination mechanism with relevant airlines to adjust operations flexibly based on their needs, ensuring smooth flight operations.
However, an insider, as reported by the Times, expressed frustration on social media regarding the lack of immediate passenger notifications, which led to confusion at the airport, and noted difficulties in responding to inquiries about the delay situation.
Airbus issues
global A320 fix
Airlines around the world canceled and delayed flights heading into the weekend to fix software on a widely used commercial aircraft after an analysis found the computer code may have contributed to a sudden drop in the altitude of a JetBlue plane last month.
Airbus said Friday that an examination of the JetBlue incident revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls on the A320 family of aircraft.
The FAA joined the European Union Aviation Safety Agency in requiring airlines to address the issue with a new software update. More than 500 U.S.-registered aircraft will be impacted.
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