Major travel disruption ahead after 6,000 aircrafts found unsafe to fly

Around 6,000 aircraft are set to be grounded after Airbus issued an urgent safety update to airlines today.

The European aerospace company said that passengers could face ‘operational disruption’ owing to the need for an urgent software update on some A320 aircraft.

It comes after an aircraft in that line made an emergency landing last month after experiencing a sudden drop in altitude.

In a statement issued to airlines, Airbus said that solar radiation had been found to interfere with software and corrupt critical data.

A message from the manufacturer’s headquarters in Toulouse said: ‘Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.

‘Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted.

‘Airbus has worked proactively with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and/or hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly.

‘This AOT will be reflected in an Emergency Airworthiness Directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

‘Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers. We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.’

Airbus is one of the world’s two major aerospace companies, along with its American competitor Boeing.

The A320 is one of the world’s most popular short-haul planes, with more than 6,000 currently in service around the globe.

UK airlines with large fleets include EasyJet and British Airways.

The latest advisory to airlines is thought to relate to an incident on a JetBlue aircraft last month which made a sudden descent while at cruising altitude.

Fifteen people were injured in the plunge, which caused the flight from Mexico to divert to Tampa, Florida.

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