National carriers begin A320 tests

The General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed that all national airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft have now begun implementing the required inspection and maintenance procedures, stressing the commitment of all operating companies to follow up and implement any technical updates issued by manufacturers or competent authorities.

International airlines rushed to fix a software defect in their Airbus A320 aircraft, following a recall carried out by the European company Airbus, which included 350 airlines and 6,000 aircraft of this model, which led to the temporary suspension of this model in Asia and Europe, and concern about travel traffic in the United States.

“Civil Aviation”

In detail, the General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed that all national airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft have now begun implementing the required inspection and maintenance procedures.

This announcement was made by the authority, within the framework of following up on the emergency airworthiness notice issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), related to the Airbus A320 fleet around the world.

The authority confirmed that it is following up on these procedures directly with the European Agency and the relevant operating companies, to ensure full compliance with all safety and airworthiness requirements, ensuring the continued safe operation of the fleet, and that air traffic in the country is not affected.

The Authority also confirmed the commitment of all operating companies to follow up and implement any technical updates issued by manufacturers or competent authorities, while the regulatory oversight system in the UAE continues to ensure the immediate and effective implementation of all safety directives in accordance with the highest international standards approved in the civil aviation sector.

Recall process

Yesterday, international airlines rushed to fix a software defect in their Airbus A320 aircraft, as the European aircraft manufacturer’s recall of this model led to a temporary grounding of aircraft in Asia and Europe, and concern about travel traffic in the United States during the busiest weekend of the year.

The recall, which included 6,000 aircraft, covers more than half of Airbus’s global A320 fleet, and is one of the largest recalls in the company’s 55-year history, and comes weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most delivered model.

Airlines worked all night yesterday to make repairs, after Airbus issued an emergency recall to 350 airlines around the world, and global regulators directed airlines to address the software problem before resuming flights.

This appears to have helped avert the worst-case scenario, and reduced the number of flight delays in Asia and Europe early yesterday, at a time when the United States faces a surge in travel demand after the Thanksgiving holiday.

“It is not as chaotic as some might think,” said Brendan Sobey, an independent aviation analyst based in Asia, pointing out that airlines are always prepared for various possible disruptions. “But it creates some short-term problems for operations,” he continued.

Sudden action

Industry sources said that Airbus is now informing airlines that emergency repairs for some A320 aircraft may be less burdensome than initially thought, as fewer than expected are likely to require hardware changes rather than software repairs.

However, industry executives said the sudden action was a rare and costly problem, at a time when maintenance is under pressure around the world due to shortages of labor and spare parts.

Globally, there are about 11,300 “single aisle” aircraft in service, including 6,440 basic “A320” aircraft. The fix essentially involves reverting to outdated computer software, and although relatively simple, must be completed before planes can fly again.

Air traffic

In turn, the European low-cost airline Wizz Air said that software updates had been implemented on all of its affected A320 aircraft, without expecting another disruption.

Flight tracking data on the Cirium and FlightAware websites showed that most global airports are operating with good to moderate levels of delays.

For its part, AirAsia, one of the largest customers of A320 aircraft in the world, said that it aims to complete repairs within 48 hours, as engineering teams work “around the clock.”

As for the Aviation Regulatory Authority in India, it stated that 338 Airbus aircraft in the country were affected by the problem, but the software reset will be completed by Sunday. IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, announced that it had completed the software reset of 160 out of 200 aircraft, while Indian Airlines said it had reset the software of 42 out of 113 affected planes. Both companies warned of possible delays.

In the same context, ANA Holdings, the largest airline in Japan, said that it canceled 95 flights yesterday, Saturday, affecting 13,500 passengers. The company, along with its subsidiaries such as Beach Aviation, is Japan’s largest operator of A320 aircraft.

For its part, South Korean Airlines said that it does not expect major disruptions to its flight schedule, as only 17 of its planes were affected by this recall.

As for American Airlines, the largest operator of A320 aircraft in the world, it revealed that 340 out of 480 aircraft need repair. Germany’s Lufthansa and Britain’s EasyJet also announced repairs.