European aircraft manufacturer Airbus said on Friday (28/11/2025) that it has urged the “immediate grounding of flights” of 6,000 of its A320 aircraft to urgently replace flight control software exposed to solar radiation. This is the ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer) system, which is a computer that controls the plane’s elevators and ailerons.
The manufacturer explained to its customers that this measure was taken after a technical accident that occurred at the end of October with a device in the United States that “revealed that intense solar radiation could corrupt data essential for the operation of flight commands.” This affects more than half of the devices in its best-selling family.
For most aircraft, 85% of which according to a company spokesperson, switching software from the previous version will take “a few hours,” which should not significantly impact their flight software. But for about 1,000 devices, this will require changing the hardware, “which will take weeks,” a source close to the matter explained.
There will be unrest
“Airbus recognizes that these recommendations will cause disruption to operations for passengers and customers,” the European aircraft manufacturer wrote in a statement. “We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, keeping safety as our absolute and highest priority.”
On October 30, a JetBlue Airbus A320 experienced an in-flight control problem due to a computer malfunction. The accident occurred during the cruise phase between Cancun (Mexico) and Newark (United States), when the plane suddenly landed without the intervention of the pilots, who were able to land the ship in Tampa (Florida), where the presence of infected passengers was verified.
The Airbus A320, which entered service in 1988, is the best-selling aircraft in the world. In September, it replaced the single-aisle Boeing 737, the first of which was delivered in 1968. At the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 units of its A320s (including special editions), compared to 12,254 units of the 737.
Colombian airline Avianca announced that these changes will significantly affect its flights in the next ten days, while Iberia said it is already working to make “the necessary changes” without stopping its operations. Meanwhile, British Airways indicated that only 3 of its aircraft will have to change their systems.
DZC (AFP, EFE, Reuters)