Airbus's Software Update Disrupts Thousands of Flights Worldwide
A directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has prompted Airbus to immediately update the software on 6,000 A320 planes globally, leaving passengers facing flight disruptions. The move affects more than half of the 11,300 A320 jets in operation, with American Airlines being one of the airlines most impacted.
The airline reported that 340 out of its 480 A320s require an update, a process expected to take two hours per plane. With travel being busy this weekend in the US, American Airlines warned that only a handful of planes would still need to be updated by November 29, with the majority completed by nightfall.
However, the airline's concerns were echoed by Asian carriers that heavily rely on A320s for short-haul flights. Japan's ANA had to cancel over 95 domestic flights this Saturday alone, affecting more than 13,000 passengers.
The directive was issued after a problem manifested on a JetBlue flight back in October. Analysis revealed that intense solar radiation may have corrupted data critical to the functioning of flight controls. This issue is linked to solar flares and disruptions to satellite and GPS signals, highlighting the need for planes to revert to an earlier software version to prevent similar issues.
As a result, thousands of passengers are facing travel disruptions worldwide, with many flights cancelled or delayed due to the updates.
A directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has prompted Airbus to immediately update the software on 6,000 A320 planes globally, leaving passengers facing flight disruptions. The move affects more than half of the 11,300 A320 jets in operation, with American Airlines being one of the airlines most impacted.
The airline reported that 340 out of its 480 A320s require an update, a process expected to take two hours per plane. With travel being busy this weekend in the US, American Airlines warned that only a handful of planes would still need to be updated by November 29, with the majority completed by nightfall.
However, the airline's concerns were echoed by Asian carriers that heavily rely on A320s for short-haul flights. Japan's ANA had to cancel over 95 domestic flights this Saturday alone, affecting more than 13,000 passengers.
The directive was issued after a problem manifested on a JetBlue flight back in October. Analysis revealed that intense solar radiation may have corrupted data critical to the functioning of flight controls. This issue is linked to solar flares and disruptions to satellite and GPS signals, highlighting the need for planes to revert to an earlier software version to prevent similar issues.
As a result, thousands of passengers are facing travel disruptions worldwide, with many flights cancelled or delayed due to the updates.
. Airbus gotta update their software on 6k A320 planes and it's causing major headaches for passengers 
. I feel bad for everyone stuck on the ground because of it. It's like, I get that they're trying to fix a problem, but two hours per plane? That's not exactly ideal timing 
. American Airlines is already worried about how this is gonna affect their flights and Asian carriers are getting hit hard too 
. It's just one of those things that happens when you rely on technology to run your planes... 
. I hope they get it sorted out soon so people can start flying again 
!
i have a flight next wknd and now im not sure if it will be affected 
i know planes r supposed to do software updates regularly but cant they just do it during the night when people are sleeping? 
this whole thing is so annoying 
i mean, can't they just leave the planes alone? its not like its the end of the world if a few flights get cancelled... but then again, safety should be the priority right? so yeah, 340 out of 480 planes needs an update, thats already pretty intense. and with american airlines saying its gonna take two hours per plane to update them? that's just crazy talk! what about all those passengers who got their weekend plans ruined? maybe they could have done it on a different day when not so many people are flying?
and now they have to go back to an older version or else it'll crash mid flight 
i feel so bad for all those passengers who are stuck in airports rn trying to figure out their flights i heard american airlines is one of the worst affected airlines and japan's ANA had like 95 domestic flights cancelled this saturday lol can't even imagine how frustrating that must be 
. And what's with all these updates? Can't they just get it right from the start? I'm just glad they're trying to fix the problem, but seriously, a couple of hours update time is not ideal for people who have already planned their whole weekend around flights 
.
this update thingy is soooo annoying 
at least the airline crew is trying to make it up to us with snacks and stuff 
but honestly, can't we just fly already?! 
solar flares are a real thing? 
I guess that's why they're updating software all of a sudden 
[A plane taking off, but with a road map on its wings]
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anyone know when the updates will be done? gonna cost me a lot of extra money... 
this is not what im paying for in tickets 
Just hope everyone can get back to their flights soon... 
for these software updates. I mean, 6,000 planes can't just be grounded, right? And what's up with this new directive from the EU Aviation Safety Agency? It's like they're trying to hold our flights hostage 
. American Airlines has got a point, though - two hours per plane is way too long 
. Can't they just push the update through some backdoor or something 
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what's crazy is all these cancellations are happening now when travel is super busy lol poor passengers who have to deal with this 
and honestly who knew solar radiation could mess with plane software? 
At least American Airlines is trying to minimize the impact by saying only a few planes will still need an update by November 29, but it's still annoying that they have to deal with this mess #AirlinesProblems. I hope everyone gets their flights sorted out soon and doesn't lose too much time or money 
️#TravelStruggles