India’s Airlines Brace for Disruptions: A320 Safety Fixes Underway

A critical safety warning from Airbus concerning its ubiquitous A320 aircraft is poised to disrupt air travel across India. The manufacturer has alerted operators that strong solar radiation poses a risk to flight control computers. This has triggered a race against time for major Indian carriers like IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express to implement necessary software or hardware updates on a significant portion of their fleets. India relies heavily on its roughly 560 A320-family aircraft for domestic connectivity, and it’s estimated that nearly half may require attention. The grounding of these planes for essential maintenance is expected to lead to substantial flight delays and cancellations. IndiGo has acknowledged the situation, stating that some flights might experience “slight schedule changes” during the update process. Air India Express is taking proactive steps, warning of potential disruptions despite most of its aircraft not being directly impacted. Air India also confirmed that its A320 fleet will undergo technical updates, which could slow down operations and lead to delays. Airbus has underscored its commitment to safety, apologizing for the inconvenience and assuring full cooperation with airlines and aviation authorities to expedite the fixes. The advisory was prompted by a real-world incident involving an A320 that experienced an unexpected pitch down, linked to a fault in the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC). The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive, mandating these critical updates.