Thousands of flights facing disruption as Airbus says 6,000 planes need software upgrade ...Middle East

Passengers face flight disruption this weekend as 6,000 planes require a technical update related to solar radiation.

Airbus A320s will need a software refresh as a result of an investigation into a turbulence incident on a JetBlue flight in the US last month.

The aircraft suffered a sudden drop in altitude which left 15 passengers injured, according to reports.

The issue has been linked to solar radiation interfering with the aircraft’s control systems.

Around 6,000 A320 planes will require a software update globally, including aircraft used by several UK airlines.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued the instruction on Friday night as a “precautionary action”.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the impact on UK airlines should remain “limited”.

“I am aware of the technical issue impacting certain aircraft and concerns over how this will affect passengers and flights this evening,” she said.

“Passengers who are due to fly this weekend should check with their carriers for the latest information.

“The good news is it seems the impact on UK airlines seems limited, with a smaller number of aircraft requiring more complex software and hardware changes.”

“I would really like to thank the experts, staff and airlines who are working at pace to address this and reassure passengers that work is ongoing.

“It is heartening this issue has been identified and will be addressed so swiftly demonstrating the high aviation safety standards globally.”

Wizz Air initially warned passengers flying with the airline they may face disruption over the weekend as a result of the update.

But on Saturday a spokesperson said the update was complete.

“All flights today are operating, with no further disruption now anticipated as a result of the issue,” said Diarmud O Conghaile, chief operations officer.

“Safety remains the airline’s highest and overriding priority, and we continue to uphold the most rigorous standards across every aspect of our operation.”

EasyJet indicated in a statement there may be changes to their flying schedule as a result of the update, in which case passengers will be informed.

“We want to reassure our customers that safety is always our highest priority and our fleet operates in strict compliance with the manufacturer’s guidelines,” the statement said.

“A software change is underway on our A320 family and if there are any changes to our flying schedule we will inform you of your options by email, SMS and on Flight Tracker.”

Gatwick Airport also warned passengers may face some disruption over the coming days.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: “We are aware of a directive requiring some airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft to update software on their fleet over coming days, which may result in some disruption.

“This is only impacting a small number of airlines at London Gatwick.

“Passengers should contact their airline for more information.”

Passengers flying with British Airways should not face any significant disruption as only three of their aircraft require the update, a spokesperson for the airline confirmed.

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said it is not expecting any disruption to its flight schedule at this stage.

Luton Airport is also expected to run its flying schedule as normal, according to a spokesperson who said there is “no expected impact to the operation at this stage”.

Irish airline Aer Lingus also said it is not expecting major operational disruption.

It said in a statement: “Following an alert raised by Airbus, a directive has been issued to airlines advising them of a requirement to update instances of a particular version of software installed on some of the global Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

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“In Aer Lingus’ case, a limited number of aircraft are impacted, and the airline is taking immediate steps to complete the required software installation.

“As a result, Aer Lingus expects that there will be no significant operational disruption.”

Jet2.com said it was “installing software updates on a very small number of aircraft” in its fleet, adding: “We can confirm there will be no impact to our flying programme as a result.”

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