Aer Lingus says it has fully completed a required software installation on a number of its aircraft after plane manufacturer Airbus discovered a technical issue affecting more than half of its active A320 jetliner family fleet.
Aer Lingus had said a limited number of its aircraft were affected by an urgent direction for software updates, which was issued late last week.
Airbus cautioned that more than half of its active A320 jetliner family fleet would need a software fix after a recent incident involving a JetBlue Airways airliner revealed that “intense solar radiation” could corrupt data that helps maintain functioning flight controls.
The company said a significant number of its A320 fleet, encompassing more than 6,500 jets in total, were impacted by the required fix, according to a statement sent by the European plane maker.
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A separate directive by regulators said the upgrade must happen before an aircraft’s next regular flight.
In a statement on Monday, Aer Lingus said: “Following the recent European Union Aviation Safety Agency directive regarding software on the Airbus A320 family of aircraft, Aer Lingus has now fully completed the required software installation on all of its impacted aircraft.”
It added that this process was “completed without operational disruption”.
Airbus said it has fixed most of its jets affected by the software glitch, averting further travel disruption after a technical problem grounded thousands of its planes.
Airlines around the world cancelled and delayed flights over the weekend after the French plane manufacturer ordered the immediate repairs.
The alert marked the biggest recall in Airbus’s 55-year history and came only weeks after the A320 overtook the rival Boeing 737 as the most-delivered jet.
The recall also coincided with Thanksgiving weekend in the US, where the airlines Delta, United and American were left exposed to the problem during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Separately on Monday, industry sources told Reuters that Airbus has discovered an industrial quality issue affecting fuselage panels of several dozen A320-family aircraft.
The suspected production flaw is delaying some deliveries but there are no immediate indications that it has reached aircraft in service, the sources said, asking not to be named.
Airbus had no immediate comment. The origin of the problem could not immediately be identified. It emerged as Airbus is beefing up efforts to meet challenging delivery targets for the year.
A person with direct knowledge of the matter said some deliveries were already being impacted, but there was no immediate confirmation of how many nor for how long.
Industry sources said the plane maker delivered 72 aircraft in November, fewer than many analysts had previously expected, bringing the total for the year so far to 657. (Additional reporting: Guardian and Reuters)
