Mandatory Airbus System Upgrade Completed by IndiGo and Air India Express
New Delhi, November 30: IndiGo and Air India Express have successfully executed a requisite software upgrade for their complete A320 fleets. IndiGo has confirmed that the update was duly accomplished for all 200 aircraft within its A320 section.
Simultaneously, Air India Express has finalised precautionary safety inspections and reset over 90% of its operational A320 family aircraft.
Many international carriers, including Air Arabia, have also completed this upgrade across their A320 fleets. US Secretary Sean Duffy has articulated that he remains in continuous dialogue with Airbus regarding the software recall affecting the A320 family, as well as the airlines that operate these aircraft.
This upgrade was necessitated by a directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) aimed at mitigating issues with the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC) units, which may be vulnerable to severe solar radiation, leading to possible data corruption that is vital for flight control.
The goal of this software enhancement is to safeguard the aircraft’s operational integrity. Consequently, airlines endeavoured to reduce disruptions during the implementation. A day prior, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had promulgated an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) applicable to certain Airbus A319 and A320/321 aircraft.
This directive mandates either the replacement or modification of the software that governs the aircraft’s elevator and aileron functions, and it is effective immediately. The FAA’s intervention parallels an EAD issued by EASA, which oversees the certification of Airbus aircraft.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has provided insights on the necessary maintenance measures required for select Airbus A320 aircraft globally. Throughout the night, UK airlines collaborated diligently with airport partners to ensure that the software update was conducted on the majority of relevant aircraft.
While some disturbances were anticipated, the actual impact on UK airline flights has been minimal, with few passengers affected. Only a limited number of aircraft operated by UK carriers are still pending the software and hardware modifications.
Source link: Latestly.com.
