Airbus has announced that, following the analysis conducted after a recent incident involving an A320 Family aircraft, it has been determined that intense solar radiation may corrupt data that is critical for flight control systems. The company has identified a significant number of A320 aircraft in the current fleet that carry a risk of being affected.
Within its safety-focused approach, Airbus issued an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) requesting the implementation of immediate measures. This process will become official with the Emergency Airworthiness Directive to be issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The company stated that proactive cooperation is being carried out with relevant aviation authorities for the software and/or hardware protection updates to be implemented. Acknowledging that the measures may cause some operational disruptions, Airbus made the following statement:
“We sincerely apologise for any potential inconvenience to our passengers and customers. Safety is always our top priority, and by working closely with operators, we will ensure that the process is managed safely and swiftly.”
Airbus reported that it will continue to share updates on developments with industry stakeholders.
