Airbus Races to Fix Radiation Risk as Flights Face Global Disruption
So here's what’s happening right now in the aviation world, and it’s causing quite a stir. Airbus has announced that thousands of its planes — mostly from the A320 family — need immediate software updates after a serious issue was discovered. The company revealed that intense solar and cosmic radiation at high altitudes could corrupt data inside a critical flight-control computer. Because of that, airlines around the world are preparing for delays, cancellations, and last-minute schedule changes.
This all came to light after a recent incident in the United States. A JetBlue A320 reportedly experienced a sudden and uncommanded drop in altitude during a 30 October flight, leading to injuries and an emergency landing in Florida. That event triggered an investigation, and it was during that process that Airbus engineers realized the aircraft’s ELAC computer — the system that controls the elevators and ailerons — might be vulnerable to radiation interference.
Now, the scale of the response is huge. Airbus has around 12,000 A320-family jets in service globally, and roughly half of them — about 6,000 aircraft — are affected. The company says around 5,100 can be fixed with a straightforward software update. But the older models aren’t so lucky; they also need new hardware, meaning they must be taken out of service temporarily.
Also Read:Regulators have stepped in quickly. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has warned that some flights will need to be grounded until the updates are completed. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has gone even further, issuing an emergency airworthiness directive that requires airlines to replace ELAC computers on the worst-affected planes before carrying passengers again.
Airlines are already responding. Wizz Air says some of its jets need the fix and that it expects disruptions over the weekend. Air India is preparing for longer turnaround times and potential delays. EasyJet is expecting some impact but has reassured passengers that safety remains the top priority. Meanwhile, carriers like British Airways and United Airlines say they’re largely unaffected.
This comes at an especially challenging time, with many airlines already struggling with maintenance bottlenecks and engine-related groundings across their fleets. And the A320 family is incredibly important — it's not only Airbus’s best-selling line but also one of the most widely used fleets in global aviation.
Airbus has apologized to both passengers and airlines, acknowledging that the decision will cause operational headaches. But the message is clear: safety comes first, and the updates must be completed before these jets return to the sky.
So for now, passengers are being advised to check directly with their airlines to see if their upcoming flights might be disrupted. The hope is that most aircraft can be patched quickly, but with thousands involved, the ripple effects may be felt for days.
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