TOULOUSE — Airbus is sounding the alarm on a potential problem with its A320 family of aircraft.

The aviation company says intense solar radiation could corrupt data essential to the operation of flight controls.

Airbus has identified some 6,000 A320 family aircraft currently in service that could be affected, before asking the carriers concerned to stop flying them while certain checks are carried out.

On its site Airbus says it has been working proactively with aviation authorities to ask operators to take immediate precautionary measures via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT), in order to implement available software and/or hardware protections and ensure that the fleet can fly safely.

This AOT will be reflected in an Emergency Airworthiness Directive issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Airbus acknowledges that these recommendations will cause operational disruptions for passengers and customers. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while maintaining safety as our top priority.”

IMPACT FOR CANADIAN CARRIERS

In Canada, Air Canada, Air Transat, American Airlines and Air France are among the users of these aircraft.

When contacted by Profession Voyages, Air Canada spokesperson Christophe Hennebelle said “very few of our aircraft use this version of the software and we do not anticipate any impact on our operations.”

For its part, Air Transat emphasizes that “although none of our aircraft experienced any problems in flight, the airworthiness directive issued by the relevant authorities and the manufacturer also applies to the Airbus A321,” said Air Transat spokesperson Alex-Anne Carrier. “In accordance with this directive, we immediately implemented the necessary measures to ensure our aircraft are in regulatory compliance. Our technical teams are already fully mobilized and are actively working to implement the required corrective actions in the coming hours to comply with this directive. We anticipate minor adjustments to our flight schedules in the meantime and remain fully committed to maintaining the highest safety standards for our crew members and passengers.”

At Air France, at least 35 aircraft are affected, “but none departing from or arriving in Canada are concerned,” confirmed spokesperson Mathieu Guillot.

For its part, Le Devoir reports that at least 1,000 A320 aircraft could be grounded, across all carriers, while the computer system is updated.

On Oct. 30 at least 15 JetBlue passengers were injured and taken to hospital after a sudden drop in altitude on a flight from Mexico forced an emergency landing in Florida.

“We will conduct a full investigation to determine the cause,” JetBlue said in a statement at the time, as did the FAA.

The following day, JetBlue removed the aircraft from service for inspection.

The pilots reported “a flight control problem” and described injuries, including a possible “laceration to the head,” according to an audio recording of air traffic published by LiveATC.net.

Pablo Rojas, a Miami-based aviation lawyer, explained at the time that a “flight control problem” means the aircraft is not responding to the pilots. “When they perform actions, pull something or push something, and the aircraft doesn’t respond as they want or should, that’s a flight control problem,” he said. “That’s what makes the situation so frightening.”

A new flight control software system designed by Boeing for its Max aircraft was blamed for two accidents, including the one in Ethiopia, which occurred less than five months after a Max aircraft crashed off the coast of Indonesia in 2018. The tragedies resulted in 346 deaths. In both cases, the software had systematically lowered the nose of the aircraft — which had just entered service — based on erroneous data from a single sensor, and the pilots of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines flights had been unable to regain control.

“When an aircraft loses a lot of altitude against the apparent will of the pilots, and they are unable to maintain it at level flight, we have seen what tragic consequences this can have,” said Rojas.

With file from The Canadian Press

This article originally appeared at ProfessionVoyages.com, part of The Travelweek Group