New Delhi [India], November 29 : 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.
https://x.com/AirbusPRESS/status/1994724906622443724?s=20
"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.
Earlier, 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.
On the Airbus A320 global software issue, Chairman, Tourism Committee, Chamber of Commerce, Subhash Goyal told ANI, "...It was discovered in America that all of a sudden, Airbus 320, without the pilot's command, suddenly had a downward trend and the plane had to make an emergency landing. After that, Airbus sent a warning message to all Airbus 320 users to ground the aircraft until the computer system is upgraded...Normally, the new Airbus 320 will take about 2 to 3 hours for computer upgrades. But older versions may take 2 to 3 days. So this crisis is going to last another 4 or 5 days...I thank God that no serious accident took place..."