New Delhi [India], November 29 : Following concerns about a safety risk posed by the Airbus A320's software update, Air India Express on Saturday said it had completed safety checks on most of its fleet, with the remaining checks to be completed soon.
The airline worked with Airbus and authorities to minimise disruptions, prioritising passenger safety. Operations are expected to return to normal once the checks are complete.
In a statement, an Air India Express Spokesperson said, "We have completed the precautionary safety actions on the majority of our Airbus A320 fleet, with the remaining aircraft on track for completion within the advised timeline. This has been achieved with minimal impact on operations through the coordinated efforts of our engineering, operations, and flight safety teams. Air India Express continues to work closely with Airbus and the relevant authorities, reaffirming our commitment to safe and reliable operations."
Earlier, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury on Saturday apologised to customers and passengers affected by delays caused by a required fix on some A320 aircraft.
Faury emphasised that safety is the top priority and assured that teams are working around the clock to implement the updates and return planes to service.
"The fix required on some #A320 aircraft has been causing significant logistical challenges and delays since yesterday. I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now. But we consider that nothing is more important than safety when people fly on one of our Airbus Aircraft - like millions do every day. Our teams are working around the clock to support our operators and ensure these updates are deployed as swiftly as possible to get planes back in the sky and resume normal operations, with the safety assurance you expect from #Airbus," CEO Airbus said in a statement posted on X by the Airbus newsroom.
The fix is being deployed as swiftly as possible to minimise disruptions, and Airbus is supporting operators to ensure normal operations resume as soon as possible.
Earlier today, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an airworthiness directive banning the use of multiple Airbus aircraft models following concerns about a safety risk posed by the company's software update.
The Airworthiness directive was applicable for multiple other models of Airbus aircraft, including A319-111, A319-112, A319-113, A319-114, A319-115, A319-131, A319-132, A319-133, A319-151N, A319-153N, A319- 171N, A319-173N, A320-211, A320-212, A320-214, A320-215, A320- 216, A320- 231, A320-232, A320-233, A320-251N, A320-252N, A320-253N, A320-271N, A320-272N, A320- 273N, A321-211, A321- 212, A321-213, A321-231, A321-232, A321-251N, A321-252N, A321- 253N, A321-251NX, A321-252NX, A321-253NX, A321-271N, A321- 272N, A321-271NX and A321-272NX.
The European multinational aerospace company Airbus flagged a potential solar radiation risk, cautioning that intense radiation could corrupt data critical to flight control systems. The company also warned that a significant number of A320 family aircraft currently in service may be affected. Hence, in its statement, Airbus stated that it has been working proactively with aviation authorities to implement the necessary software and hardware protections to ensure the fleet remains safe to operate.