Airbus Orders Emergency Action for A320 Family
Image Source: Pedro Aragão, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons
Airbus has issued an urgent safety bulletin to all A320 Family operators after new analysis revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt aircraft flight-control data under specific conditions. The discovery follows a recent operational event involving an A320-series jet, prompting the manufacturer to order precautionary measures across the global fleet.
What Airbus Found
According to Airbus, solar radiation at high altitudes can interfere with data essential to the proper functioning of flight-control systems. That review identified a significant number of in-service A320 Family aircraft that may require software and/or hardware protections to prevent data corruption.
Mandatory Actions for Operators
To address the issue, Airbus has issued an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) directing airlines to take immediate precautionary action. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will follow with an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, making these measures mandatory across all affected aircraft. Airlines are expected to apply the required protections as soon as possible.
Tracking the A320 Family in Real Time
We are currently tracking 3,056 A320 Family aircraft operating around the world:
