Thousands of planes grounded as Airbus links software issue to solar radiation

Passengers have been warned of flight disruption after thousands planes have been grounded across the world, following warnings that intense solar radiation could affect the controls of some Airbus aircraft.

It comes after a JetBlue flight headed from Cancun to New Jersey experienced a sudden drop in altitude last month, injuring at least 15 passengers.

Analysis of the incident found solar radiation could have corrupted data critical to the functioning of flight controls on Airbus’ A320 aircraft.

Some flights could be cancelled or delayed as affected planes undergo a software update to address the issue, which the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) described as a “precautionary action”.

Although not all A320 planes require the update, the safety agency said the process could bring “short-term disruption” to flight schedules.

Several UK airlines have these aircraft in their fleet and could be impacted, EASA continued.

“The requirement will mean the airlines flying these aircraft will in some cases have to change software over the days ahead or remain on the ground from Sunday onwards until the software has been changed,” it said.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said on Friday night the impact on UK airlines should remain “limited”.

She said: “Passengers who are due to fly this weekend should check with their carriers for the latest information. The good news is it seems the impact on UK airlines seems limited, with a smaller number of aircraft requiring more complex software and hardware changes.

“I would really like to thank the experts, staff and airlines who are working at pace to address this and reassure passengers that work is ongoing.”

Wizz Air has however warned passengers flying with the airline they may face disruption over the weekend.

In a statement, it said: “Wizz Air confirms that some of its aircraft are among the more than 6,500 Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide that require a software update, as recently identified by the aircraft manufacturer.

“Wizz Air has already immediately scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the identified mitigation.”

The airline apologised for inconvenience, and said passengers who booked directly would be notified of schedule changes.

EasyJet indicated in a statement there may be changes to their flying schedule as a result of the update, in which case passengers will be informed.

Gatwick Airport also warned passengers may face some disruption over the coming days, but said only a “small number” of airlines operating from the airport would be affected.

Passengers flying with British Airways should not face any significant disruption as only three of their aircraft require the update, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed.

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said it is not expecting any disruption to its flight schedule at this stage.

Luton Airport is also expected to run its flying schedule as normal, according to a spokesperson who said there is “no expected impact to the operation at this stage”.

Irish airline Aer Lingus also said it is not expecting major operational disruption.

Jet2.com said it was “installing software updates on a very small number of aircraft” in its fleet, adding: “We can confirm there will be no impact to our flying programme as a result.”