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2025-12-01 Science & Technology

Airlines have fixed the Airbus A320's vulnerability to solar radiation

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Posted by badanov 2025-12-01 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1757 views ] Top

1 Airlines issue flights update after 6,000 Airbus jets needed urgent software update to prevent flight controls malfunctioning

Posted by Skidmark 2025-12-01 09:07|| 2025-12-01 09:07|| Front Page Top

2 Our planes are very safe, unlike Boeing,,, just don't take them out in the sun.

Posted by Mercutio 2025-12-01 09:11|| 2025-12-01 09:11|| Front Page Top

3 "Airbus Software Update

Airbus has issued an emergency software update for approximately 6,000 A320-family aircraft worldwide, following a discovery that intense solar radiation can corrupt critical flight control data, potentially leading to uncommanded maneuvers As of Monday, December 1, 2025, Airbus reported that the vast majority of the affected aircraft have been modified, with fewer than 100 still requiring work, significantly reducing the anticipated disruption

- The update was prompted by a sudden nose-down event on a JetBlue A320 on October 30, which investigators traced to a malfunction in the Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC) caused by solar radiation corrupting its software
- The fix involves rolling back the software on most aircraft to a previous version, a process taking two to three hours per plane However, around 1,000 older aircraft require a complete hardware replacement, which could extend their grounding to weeks due to parts shortages
- The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive grounding the affected fleet until the fixes were completed, causing widespread flight cancellations and delays, particularly during the Thanksgiving travel period
- Major airlines including American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and EasyJet have reported completing the updates, though some, like Avianca and JetBlue, continue to experience limited disruptions
- Airbus emphasized safety as its top priority and acknowledged the operational impact, marking a more transparent response compared to past crises like the Boeing 737 MAX"

AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.

Posted by Skidmark 2025-12-01 09:13|| 2025-12-01 09:13|| Front Page Top

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