Air India, Indigo warn of delays in flight operations over A320 software upgrade, 200 aircrafts likely to be affected
PTC News Desk: Flights operated by IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express are likely to face delays and cancellations because these airlines need to fix a possible problem in the flight control systems of their A320 aircraft, according to sources. About 200–250 planes in India will be affected.
On Friday, Airbus announced that strong solar radiation could interfere with important flight control data in many A320 family planes, and fixing the issue will require software updates, which will temporarily disrupt operations. Around 6,000 A320 aircraft worldwide may need these upgrades.
Since many A320 planes in India will undergo software updates or even hardware adjustments, they will have to be temporarily grounded, leading to flight disruptions. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has instructed airlines to install a working Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC), which controls important flight movements. EASA said the problem must be fixed before the aircraft flies again.
IndiGo said on Saturday that it knows about the Airbus notice and is working with the company to follow the instructions. The airline said it is trying to reduce delays as much as possible while inspections are being done.
India has around 560 A320 family planes, and 200–250 of them will need updates or adjustments.
In a statement Air India Express 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." A source said that 31 A320 family planes of Air India Express will be impacted.
- With inputs from agencies
