(MENAFN) The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) requiring immediate replacement or modification of software on certain Airbus A319 and A320/321 models, according to reports.

“The EAD requires replacing or modifying the software that controls the airplanes' elevator ailerons,” the FAA said in a statement, noting that the directive “is effective immediately.” Operators must complete the update before the aircraft fly again, with a deadline set for early Sunday local time. The directive also prohibits installing the affected software on any aircraft.

The FAA said the action aligns with a previous directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Airbus reported that a “significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service… may be impacted.”

The emergency update follows a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark on October 30 that experienced flight control problems. The aircraft reportedly descended 100 feet in seven seconds and was diverted to Tampa, Florida, according to preliminary Flightradar24 data.

Airbus had earlier called for an immediate precautionary software update for the A320 family after determining that intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to flight-control functions.

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