UK airports face weekend disruption after 6,000 planes deemed unfit to fly

UK travellers have been warned

According to the European aerospace company, passengers could face major 'operational disruption' due to some A320 aircraft needing an urgent software update.

Resolving the software issue would take approximately three to four hours.

Even though companies have worked on planes overnight, some airlines have warned that passengers could be disrupted as work continues throughout today.

This follows an incident last month in which an aircraft of the same model made an emergency landing after a sudden loss of altitude.

Airbus claimed that solar radiation had been found to interfere with software as well as corrupt critical data.

A message from the manufacturer’s headquarters in Toulouse last night read: "Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.

"Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service which may be impacted.

"Airbus has worked proactively with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and/or hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly.

"This AOT will be reflected in an Emergency Airworthiness Directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

"Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority."

Airbus is one of the two dominant aerospace manufacturers worldwide, alongside its U.S. rival Boeing. The A320 is among the most widely used short-haul aircraft, with more than 6,000 in operation globally, per Metro.

Statements from major airlines

UK airlines with large fleets of A320 aircraft include EasyJet and British Airways.

Easyjet has said it was operating a full schedule and had already completed the update on many of its planes, however, it still advises passengers to check its flight track tool for the most up-to-date information.

The airline said in a statement: "We are aware of Airbus’ communication to airlines operating A320 family aircraft and are currently working closely with the safety authorities and Airbus to implement the action we need to take. 

"As we are expecting this to result in some disruption, we will inform customers directly about any changes to our flying programme tomorrow and will do all possible to minimise the impact. 

"Safety is our highest priority, and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with manufacturers' guidelines."

Then WizzAir said that some of its services may also be disrupted while it carries out the necessary maintenance on some of its aircraft.

A spokesperson said: "Wizz Air confirms that some of its aircraft are among the more than 6,500 Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide that require a software update, as recently identified by the aircraft manufacturer.

"Wizz Air has already immediately scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the identified mitigation.

"As a result, some flights over the weekend may be affected.

"Passengers who booked directly with Wizz Air via the website or mobile app will be notified of any schedule changes.

"The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft is always our number one and overriding priority.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused by circumstances outside of our direct control."