FAA issues emergency software fix for Airbus A320 family

(MENAFN) A U.S. aviation authority issued an urgent directive on Saturday requiring airlines to immediately replace or modify flight-control software used on specific Airbus A319 and A320/321 aircraft. According to official statements, "The EAD requires replacing or modifying the software that controls the airplanes' elevator ailerons," and the order "is effective immediately."

The directive states that operators must finish the update before the planes can return to service by early Sunday local time, and it also bans reinstalling the flawed software on any aircraft. Regulators noted that the measure aligns with a similar action previously taken by European aviation authorities.

According to general reports, the aircraft manufacturer acknowledged that "a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted."

The emergency action follows a serious incident on Oct. 30, when a JetBlue flight traveling from Cancun to Newark experienced malfunctioning flight controls. Preliminary tracking data indicated the jet lost 100 feet of altitude in just seven seconds before being rerouted to Tampa, Florida.

Earlier advisories from the company had urged an immediate update after engineers determined that extreme solar radiation could corrupt vital data needed for proper flight-control operations.

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