Airbus has ordered an immediate software update for about 6,000 of its A320 family aircraft — roughly half of the global fleet — after discovering that intense solar radiation can corrupt critical flight control data.
European and American regulators on Friday mandated the emergency fix after discovering the solar radiation vulnerability, with the directive likely to cause significant disruption to air travel worldwide, affecting carriers including American Airlines, Lufthansa, EasyJet, and Wizz Air.
Uganda Airlines operates one Airbus A320-232 aircraft, which belongs to the affected family, according to flight trackers. Information about the national carrier’s fleet is difficult to obtain — it is not available on its website — but the airline’s fleet also includes two Airbus A330-841 planes and four Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft.
Uganda Airlines has yet to confirm whether the software update for its sole A320 jet will affect its flight schedule. This publication has approached the national carrier for comment and will update when a response is received.
Most affected aircraft can undergo a straightforward software update taking about two to three hours. However, some 900 older jets will require hardware replacements and face longer grounding periods.
The action follows an incident on 30 October when a JetBlue flight from Cancún to Newark suddenly lost altitude mid-flight, forcing an emergency landing in Florida that left at least 15 people injured. Airbus said this was the only known occurrence of the problem.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring fixes before affected aircraft can carry passengers again, with the order taking effect on Saturday. The US Federal Aviation Administration followed with a similar mandate.
American Airlines said 340 of its 480 A320s needed updates, whilst Delta, another American airline, expected fewer than 50 aircraft to be affected. In Australia, Jetstar cancelled 90 flights after confirming a third of its fleet was impacted.
The timing is particularly tricky, as it coincides with one of the busiest travel weekends in the US following the Thanksgiving holiday. However, UK airports reported limited disruption on Saturday, with EasyJet completing updates on many aircraft and planning a full service.
