Airbus has warned that intense solar radiation could affect flight-control data in A320 aircraft, forcing IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express to ground dozens of planes for urgent software and hardware fixes.
Air carriers IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express are bracing for widespread flight disruptions after Airbus warned that intense solar radiation could corrupt data used by flight-control systems in A320-family jets.
According to sources cited by news agency PTI, between 200 and 250 aircraft in India require immediate software updates or hardware realignments, forcing airlines to ground planes as engineers carry out the fixes.
The warning stemmed from an Airbus analysis of a recent A320 incident abroad, where the aircraft briefly pitched down due to a suspected malfunction in an Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC).
In response, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive instructing carriers to install serviceable ELAC units before the next flight of any affected aircraft. ELAC systems manage key flight-control functions.
India operates roughly 560 A320 family aircraft, and nearly half may need intervention. With so many jets headed for inspection, officials are preparing for a sizeable operational hit across major airlines.
IndiGo said on Saturday that it is aware of the notification issued by Airbus, the manufacturer of the majority of its fleet, regarding A320 family planes.
“Airbus has issued a technical advisory for the global A320 fleet. We are proactively completing the mandated updates on our aircraft with full diligence and care, in line with all safety protocols. While we work through these precautionary updates, some flights may see some slight schedule changes,” the airline said.
In a statement, Air India Express said, “We have initiated immediate precautionary action in response to an alert requiring a software fix on the Airbus A320 fleet. While a majority of our aircraft are not impacted, the guidance applies to operators worldwide and may result in adjustments to flight operations, including potential delays or cancellations.”
Air India, in a separate post on X, said parts of its A320 fleet will undergo software and hardware realignment, which will lengthen turnaround times.
“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,” the airline said.
However, none of the three carriers disclosed how many aircraft were impacted.
A320-family jets — A319s, A320ceo/neos and A321ceo/neos — form the backbone of India’s domestic network, so even a brief wave of groundings is expected to disrupt thousands of passengers each day.
Airbus acknowledged that the required fixes will disrupt airline operations but said precautions are necessary.
“Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 family aircraft currently in service that may be impacted. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority,” the company said.
The aircraft maker said it has been working with aviation regulators to request immediate precautionary action through an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT), enabling airlines to deploy software and hardware protections and keep their fleets safe to fly.
