An Airbus A320-232 jet of China’s Sichuan Airlines flies past the Grand Hotel before landing at the Taipei Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2018. Airbus just issued a recall of the A320 line for a software update. File Photo by David Chang/EPA
Airplane manufacturer Airbus has announced a recall of its A320 planes for a software update to address an issue that contributed to a sudden drop in altitude of a JetBlue plane last month.
At least 15 passengers aboard the JetBlue flight were hospitalized after the plane suddenly dropped. It made an emergency landing in Tampa, Fla. It was headed to Newark, N.J.
Airbus said an analysis revealed intense solar radiation can corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls on the A320 family of aircraft. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced a requirement to address the issue.
The update may cause flight delays as airlines work to fix the issue, especially as Americans try to return home after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The setback appears to be one of the largest recalls affecting Airbus in its 55-year history. At the time Airbus issued its bulletin to the plane’s more than 350 operators, about 3,000 A320-family jets were in the air, The Guardian reported.
Fixing the issue mostly means reverting to earlier software, CNBC reported.
American Airlines, which is the world’s largest A320 operator, said about 340 of its 480 A320 planes need the fix. It said it expects these to be updated by Saturday, taking about two hours for each plane.
Colombian carrier Avianca said the recall affected more than 70% of its fleet, causing it to halt ticket sales for travel dates through Dec. 8.
