Air travel in crisis, travel will be disrupted from Sunday, November 29, European agency requires urgent changes for 6000 flights

Air travel in crisis, travel will be disrupted from Sunday, November 29, European agency requires urgent changes for 6000 flights

Air travelers will face major difficulties after Airbus was asked to make urgent changes to thousands of planes worldwide after it was discovered that intense radiation from the sun could damage vital aircraft data, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive. From November 29 (Sunday), the ELAC computers must be replaced or the software updated to fix the problem if the aircraft is to be allowed to carry passengers.  

The discovery was prompted by an incident in the US on October 30. On that day, a JetBlue Airways A320 aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida after it suddenly lost altitude. In the incident, 15 people were injured.  

The European aviation giant's 6,000 aircraft, which make up half of its global fleet, are affected by the serious problem, which is being blamed on 'solar radiation'. The 'ELAC' computers, which are crucial to the aircraft's flight control system, are affected by intense radiation from the sun and cosmic rays. These computers control the ailerons and elevators that help raise, lower and turn the aircraft's altitude. If the data in the computer is corrupted, flight control will be completely wrong.

The problem affects Airbus' best-selling A320, including the A318, A319 and A321 family models. Software update: The problem can be fixed on about 5,100 aircraft through a simple software update. However, 900 older aircraft will need to be replaced with new hardware. All of these will have to be temporarily withdrawn from service. Airbus has apologized for the significant operational disruptions that passengers will face in the coming days.  

The UK's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), warned that travel disruptions and cancellations were likely due to this directive.  

Wizz Air and Easyjet said their flights also needed updates and expected disruptions. Air India said there was a possibility of delays due to Airbus's decision. British Airways said it was not affected by the issue. Passengers should check with their airlines to confirm their flights. While technically simple, the situation is not trivial and flights can be disrupted.

Airbus: is a European aerospace corporation. While the company's primary business is the design and manufacture of commercial aircraft, it also operates separate divisions for defense, space, and helicopters. It is co-owned by the German-French-Spanish European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company (EADS).