The global crisis of the Airbus A320 family hit Colombia head-on on Friday. The Civil Aviation Administration has ordered the grounding of all Airbus A320 aircraft operating in the South American country, following a global alert issued by the European manufacturer and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The decision seeks to prevent risks in flight control systems and immediately affects Avianca, LATAM and JetSMART, the airlines that rely on this model to cover the majority of national and regional routes. The authority said in an official statement: “It is a preventive and mandatory measure to ensure the highest standards of operational safety.”
Avianca, an airline that carries more than 40% of the country’s passengers, announced that more than 70% of its planes will be grounded for at least 10 days after receiving an order from European manufacturer Airbus to apply an urgent update to its computer software to patch a security vulnerability in its flight control systems. The decision, unprecedented in the modern history of commercial aviation, forced the airline to close ticket sales until December 8 and reorganize thousands of flight routes in the middle of the peak season, the company confirmed in an official statement.
Airbus reported on Friday that intense solar radiation could corrupt important data in the ELAC computer, which is responsible for the movements of the ailerons and elevators. This discovery occurred after an accident in October with a JetBlue A320 plane in the United States, which suddenly lost altitude and had to make an emergency landing. “The aircraft in question must remain on the ground upon arrival at their respective maintenance bases until the work is carried out,” Avianca explains in its message to passengers. In parallel, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) warned that if not corrected, the fault could cause unintended movements of the elevator compromising the structural integrity of the aircraft.
The measure affects the backbone of the national air operation: Avianca operates more than 150 routes and 700 daily flights in Latin America, with a fleet dominated by the A320 family. Since Friday afternoon, the country’s main airports have recorded massive cancellations and delays of up to six hours, according to local press reports. The airline, which will prioritize rearranging passengers who have already booked, admitted: “There will inevitably be major disruptions to operations over the next 10 days.” Domestic and international flight routes will undergo massive modifications. The company will notify customers directly and offer options of replacement, refund or alternative route.
LATAM Airlines and JetSMART, which also operate dozens of A320 aircraft in Colombia, will have to adhere to the same directive, widening the scope of the crisis in the local market. The A320 is the most widely used aircraft on domestic and regional routes. Widespread grounding not only strains air logistics, but also predicts increased fares, congestion at airports, and pressure on competing airlines. However, safety does not allow for discussion: “Avianca’s priority is to ensure the safety of our passengers and our team,” the company emphasized.