Airbus announced on Friday the recall of some 6,000 A320 aircraft, to urgently replace control software vulnerable to solar radiation, following an incident in late October in the United States.

The call caused delays and cancellations around the world, from the Philippines to Colombia.

The European aircraft manufacturer announced in a statement that it had asked all customers using this software "to immediately stop flights" after analyzing the technical failure.

This incident dated back to October 30, on a JetBlue flight between Cancun, Mexico, and Newark, near New York. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.

The analysis of the incident "revealed that intense solar radiation could corrupt data essential to the operation of flight controls," the European group reported.

For most aircraft, the software update from the previous version will take "a few hours". But for some 1,000 aircraft, it will involve changing the computer hardware, "which will take weeks", a source close to the matter explained to AFP.

This is a pitch-aileron computer (ELAC) manufactured by Thales.

This Airbus supplier told AFP that it was not responsible for the problem. "The functionality in question is supported by software that is not Thales' responsibility," it stated.

Airbus did not specify which company designed and was updating the software. The group "acknowledges that these recommendations will cause operational disruptions for passengers and customers."

"We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with the operators, while maintaining safety as our absolute and paramount priority," the European aircraft manufacturer added.

"Safety comes first"

The incident occurred during the cruise phase when, over the Gulf of Mexico, the aircraft suddenly pitched downwards without any intervention from the pilots.

They began the descent phase and then landed the plane. Tampa firefighters reported to American media that there were injuries among the passengers.

The Airbus A320, which entered service in 1988, is the best-selling aircraft in the world.

By the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 A320s compared to 12,254 Boeing 737s.

When contacted by AFP, JetBlue did not comment on the incident but explained that it had already begun the necessary modifications on "some A320s" but also some A321s.

Air France indicated that it had cancelled 35 flights on Friday and was still counting the exact number for Saturday. "Customers affected by cancellations are being notified individually by SMS and email," a spokesperson stated.

American Airlines told AFP that it had already begun updating the navigation software after receiving the notification on Friday.

The company anticipates that the work will have been completed on "the vast majority" of the approximately 340 affected A320 aircraft (out of a total of 480) in its fleet by Saturday. "Some delays" will be due to these adjustments.

"Significant disruptions"

After initially claiming not to be "affected", its competitor United Airlines finally counted six aircraft involved and said it expected "minor disruptions on a few flights".

Indigo and Air India, two of India's major airlines, have warned of delays due to the grounding of some aircraft.

As for Delta Air Lines, it expected to have made the necessary updates by Saturday morning on some of its A320 and A321neo aircraft.

Some airlines are particularly affected. Colombian carrier Avianca, for example, estimates that 70% of its fleet is impacted and anticipates "significant disruptions in the next ten days," it stated in a press release. Ticket sales are suspended until December 8.

In the Philippines, local companies Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific had to cancel more than 40 flights and offered refunds and date changes to affected passengers.

The European aviation regulator (EASA) indicated in a statement that it had been informed by Airbus.

"These measures could cause short-term disruptions to flight schedules, and therefore inconvenience for passengers. However, as is always the case in aviation, safety takes precedence over everything," he wrote.

AFP