NEW DELHI: As many as 338 Airbus A320 family aircraft of IndiGo, Air India and AI Express have been impacted by the software issue that could potentially cause pilots to lose control amid intense solar storms. These three airlines have completed the update on 189 planes, nearly 56%, by 10 am on Saturday, according to data submitted by them to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The remaining aircraft will get the mandatory software and/or hardware protection by 5.29 pm on Sunday (Nov 30).IndiGo and AI Group have told the regulator there were no flight cancellations till 10 am Saturday morning. AI Express said eight flights were delayed due to this in that timeframe.
IndiGo has told the DGCA that 200 of its aircraft are affected, of which 143 got the required update by 10 am Saturday. The airline is carrying out the update at Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.Air India’s 113 aircraft are affected, of which 42 got the required update by 10 am Saturday. The airline is carrying out the update at Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata.Also Read | Over 300 planes hit: Airbus A320 software snag set to cause major flight disruptions — 10 things to knowAI Express’ 25 aircraft are affected, of which four got the required update by 10 am Saturday. The airline is carrying out the update at Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai. The DGCA on Saturday morning issued a “most urgent” mandatory modifications order for Indian operators of the A320 family aircraft, based on the emergency airworthiness directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The EASA action comes in wake of an American low cost carrier JetBlue’s A320 operating from Cancun to Newark on Oct 30, 2025, unexpectedly pitching downward without pilot input. The uncontrolled descent “likely occurred during an ELAC (flight control computer) switch change,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The aircraft diverted to Tampa, where 15-20 passengers were hospitalized. Globally about 6,000 aircraft are likely to be impacted.Tackling this issue requires a software update. For the new A320 family planes, the work requires about half an hour on each plane through “loading facility.” On older A320s, some hardware update will also be required and hence the overall work will take longer. IndiGo said on “While we work through these precautionary updates, some flights may see some slight schedule changes.”Air India said: “Following EASA and Airbus directives for a mandatory software and hardware realignment on A320 family aircraft worldwide, our engineers have been working round-the-clock to complete the task at the earliest. We have already completed the reset on over 40% of our aircraft that are impacted by this, and are confident of covering the entire fleet within the timeline prescribed by EASA. Air India can confirm that there have been no cancellations due to this task and there isn’t any major impact on schedule integrity across our network. However, some of our flights may be slightly delayed or rescheduled. Our colleagues on ground are there to assist the passengers.”An Air India Express spokesperson said: “We have initiated immediate precautionary action in response to an alert requiring a software fix on the Airbus A320 fleet. While a majority of our aircraft are not impacted, the guidance applies to operators worldwide and may result in adjustments to flight operations, including potential delays or cancellations. We request guests to ensure their contact details are updated to receive timely notifications and to check the latest flight status…”Airbus said in a statement: “Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted. Airbus has worked proactively with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an alert operators transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and/or hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly. This AOT will be reflected in an emergency airworthiness directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).”Airbus “acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers” and apologized “for the inconvenience caused”. The European airspace major said it “will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.”In its emergency airworthiness directive regarding the issue, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) gave the reason for the same: “An Airbus A320 airplane recently experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch down event. The autopilot remained engaged throughout the event, with a brief and limited loss of altitude, and the rest of the flight was uneventful. Preliminary technical assessment done by Airbus identified a malfunction of the affected ELAC as possible contributing factor. This condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability. To address this potentially unsafe condition, Airbus issued the alert operators transmission, providing instructions to install a serviceable ELAC.”
