IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express are bracing for flight delays and cancellations, as more than 200-250 Airbus A320 family aircraft in India will require urgent software or hardware fixes to address a potential issue affecting flight controls, according to sources, news agency PTI reported in the wee hours of Saturday.
With a large number of A320 family aircraft slated for software changes or hardware realignment, multiple planes will need to be briefly grounded, potentially disrupting operations across the country, the sources said. Indian carriers operate around 560 A320 family aircraft, and nearly half will be impacted.
On Saturday, IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, acknowledged receiving an alert from the manufacturer. "We are working closely with Airbus to ensure implementation as per Airbus's notification. While we carry out the necessary inspections, we are making every effort to minimise disruptions," the airline said in a statement.
Air India Express said it has also begun immediate precautionary measures. "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."
A source said 31 A320 family aircraft of Air India Express will be affected.
Air India too confirmed receiving Airbus’s directive, noting that some of its aircraft will face longer 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.
None of the three airlines disclosed exact fleet counts under inspection.
Airbus on Friday warned that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the flight control systems of a significant number of A320 family aircraft and that the corrective software changes would lead to operational disruptions.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said Airbus has asked operators to install a serviceable Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC) — a key flight-control component — in the impacted aircraft. The fix has been mandated “before the next flight” of any affected aircraft.
EASA’s directive follows a recent incident, "An Airbus A320 aeroplane recently experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch down event... Preliminary technical assessment done by Airbus identified a malfunction of the affected ELAC as possible contributing factor."
The agency added that if unaddressed, the malfunction “could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft's structural capability.”
Airbus, in a statement, said, "Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 family aircraft currently in-service which 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 it has coordinated with global authorities to trigger immediate action through an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) and ensure the affected fleet remains safe to operate.
*With Agency Inputs
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