Airbus, the OEM that has the most significant number of narrowbody aircraft flying globally, via its A320/A320neo family aircraft, has identified a new glitch in the software of its ultramodern, fly-by-wire narrowbody family aircraft, and has notified an emergency measure in a late-night notification around the globe, for it to be fixed.
Airbus A321neo (Image: Airbus)
Airbus notifies Solar Flare issue, EASA rolls out Emergency Airworthiness Directive
Airbus issued an urgent alert after identifying a safety issue impacting the A320 family aircraft. The problem affects not just the newer A320neo versions, but also the older A320ceo (classic) aircraft. Here is what the OEM notified,
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 apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.
The EASA, Europe’s aviation regulator, followed up with an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, under which either the software of affected aircraft must be rolled back by one version, or the onboard Elevator Aileron Computer must be replaced. EASA is the certifying regulator for the plane. This will affect aircraft across the A319, A320 and A321 range, and it must be done immediately or as soon as possible. Airbus estimates that working on each plane will take about 2-3 hours. There are about 11,000 A320 family aircraft flying around the globe.
IndiGo and Air India notify of the impact
With many narrow-body A320-family planes of Indian domestic carriers set to undergo software changes or, in some cases, hardware realignment, there will be operational disruptions as the aircraft must be grounded. Indian carriers operate over 500 A320 family aircraft across Air India, IndiGo and Air India Express. The number of aircraft impacted is being put at 350ish.
IndiGo is the fourth-largest operator of the A320 family of aircraft worldwide. So predictably, it has been impacted. IndiGo said,
Airbus has issued a technical advisory for the global A320 fleet. We are proactively completing the mandated updates on our aircraft with full diligence and care, in line with all safety protocols. While we work through these precautionary updates, some flights may see some slight schedule changes.
IndiGo has issued a press statement as well.
We are aware of a notification issued by Airbus, the manufacturer of the majority of our fleet, pertaining to the A320 family. We are working closely with Airbus to ensure implementation as per Airbus notification. While we carry out the necessary inspections, we are making every effort to minimise disruptions. We regret any inconvenience this unforeseen situation may cause to our customers and appreciate their understanding. IndiGo is committed to the safety of its customers and staff, and treats safety as its topmost priority.
Air India similarly issued a notification stating that it will comply with the requirement at the earliest.
We are aware of a directive from Airbus related to its A320 family aircraft currently in-service across airline operators. 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 Express said,
We have initiated precautionary action following an alert requiring a software fix for Airbus A320s. While most of our aircraft are not impacted, this guidance applies to operators worldwide, leading to delays or cancellations.
Overall, the exercise is supposed to be conducted on a war footing and completed by Monday or Tuesday in the Indian context. However, across the US, it is Thanksgiving, the busiest travel time of the year, and this is expected to impact holiday travel across airlines. According to Skift, 340 American Airlines and 50 Delta aircraft are affected.
DGCA gives an update on the impact
The Indian regulator, the DGCA, has notified the impact of the EAD at 5:30 PM this evening. As per the DGCA,
- IndiGo has 200 affected aircraft, of which 184 have had the solution implemented.
- Air India has 113 affected aircraft, of which 69 have had the solution implemented.
- Air India Express has 25 affected aircraft, of which 17 have had the solution implemented.
All three airlines have confirmed to the DGCA that they will complete the rollout by 05:29 AM IST on November 30, 2025. IndiGo, however, has stated that they will get this done by 08:30 PM on November 29, 2025, itself.
What happens to the A320 with the solar radiation issue?
The issue under analysis occurred on October 30, 2025, when a JetBlue-operated plane from Cancun experienced an uncommanded pitch-down event. Fifteen people were injured. The aircraft had to be diverted to Tampa, and these passengers were hospitalised. The EASA AOT puts the following impact,
An Airbus A320 aeroplane recently experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch-down event.
The autopilot remained engaged throughout the event, with a brief and limited loss of altitude, and the rest of the flight was uneventful.
Preliminary technical assessment done by Airbus identified a malfunction of the affected ELAC as possible contributing factor.
This condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability.
To address this potential unsafe condition, Airbus issued the AOT, providing instructions to install a serviceable ELAC.
Bottomline
A new Emergency Airworthiness Directive is affecting Airbus A320 family aircraft due to concerns that solar radiation can cause flight control issues. The notification has been out for about eight hours at the time of publication, and it is expected to impact anywhere between 5000 and 6000 aircraft globally, including 350 or so in India. It is anticipated that airline schedules will be affected, and hence your travels as well. However, the good news is that, so far, the Indian carriers are handling this well, and they anticipate resolving the issue on their aircraft by 0529 hours, November 30, 2025, which is the official deadline to close out on the implementation of the patch.
What do you make of this immediate action to be carried out on Airbus A320 family aircraft globally?
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I think this was handled well by Airbus. They were upfront about the issue and its consequences.
My Air India Express flight IX1040 scheduled to depart on 28 Nov 2025 at 22:45 was eventually delayed to 04:00 on 29 Nov 2025 due to this update as informed by the gate staff. Not sure the reason for more than 5 hours delay for a software update when the incoming aircraft had come on time.