‘Significant number’ of Airbus flights could be cancelled due to solar radiation
Millions of passengers face flight disruption after major plane issue
- Millions of airline passengers due to fly on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft face potential flight disruptions due to an urgent software modification requirement.
- The issue arises from intense solar radiation potentially corrupting data in the elevator aileron computer (Elac), which controls critical flight surfaces.
- This condition could lead to uncommanded elevator movements, risking the aircraft's structural integrity, following a recent incident involving a JetBlue flight.
- The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) has issued an emergency directive, requiring software updates or grounding of affected aircraft from Sunday.
- Airlines including easyJet and Wizz Air anticipate some flight disruptions, though British Airways expects to complete updates with minimal impact.