Airbus Grounds 6,000 A320s Over Solar Radiation Fault

Airbus ordered the immediate suspension of flights for 6,000 A320 aircraft worldwide this Friday, following a computer failure—caused by intense solar radiation—that compromised flight control on an aircraft in late October.

The recommendation was sent to all airlines operating the model, after it was confirmed that radiation can corrupt critical data in the ELAC system, responsible for controlling elevators and ailerons.

The Incident: Sudden Descent Between Cancún and Newark

The episode that triggered the alert occurred on October 30, when a JetBlue A320 flying between Cancún, Mexico, and Newark, United States, entered a stable cruise phase and, without pilot intervention, began to descend suddenly due to a computer failure.

The crew regained control and diverted the aircraft to Tampa, Florida, where it made an emergency landing.

Several people were injured, according to local emergency services.

This incident allowed the identification that intense solar radiation can affect the current version of the control software.

Urgent Software and Hardware Change

Airbus reported that:

• For most aircraft, reverting to the previous version of the program will take only a few hours.
• However, nearly 1,000 aircraft will require hardware replacement, a process that will take weeks.

“We know these recommendations will cause operational disruptions. We are working with operators to restore their operations as soon as possible, with safety as the absolute priority,” the company stated.

Global Impacts: Canceled Flights and Delays

Air France canceled 35 flights this Friday and is evaluating more impacts for Saturday. Passengers are being contacted via SMS and email.

Avianca reported significant impacts, as more than 70% of its fleet uses the compromised software. The airline suspended ticket sales until December 8.

American Airlines anticipates some delays but estimates that the update on its 340 aircraft will be ready by Saturday.

Mexico: Volaris and Viva Aerobús both reported that they will face delays and are working on measures to mitigate the impacts. They did not detail how many flights or aircraft will need intervention.

The A320, the World’s Best-Selling Aircraft

With more than 12,257 units delivered as of September, the A320 surpassed the historic Boeing 737 this year as the best-selling single-aisle aircraft in the world.