100%++ also unconfirmed
“Someone says AA will make cxl package for A320 fleet… but this will affect all a320s around the world
“Mandatory Software Update”
– JonNYC (@xJonNYC) 28 November 2025
All signs say this A320 issue is fixed, airworthiness directive from Airbus imminent
unconfirmed
– JonNYC (@xJonNYC) 28 November 2025
John suggests the problem is related to the aileron computer. It was identified as the cause of the JetBlue A320 problem on October 30, where a flight from Cancún to Newark “unexpectedly banked down without pilot input” and was diverted to Tampa. The Thales ELAC 2 computer malfunctioned and was replaced. It intercepts the pilot’s commands to control the aircraft.
10-15 passengers were hospitalized after the plane descended rapidly without instructions from the pilots. According to the National Transportation Safety Board the uncontrolled descent “likely occurred during an ELAC switch change”. It should not happen! If one ELAC computer has a problem, the other must take control without fail.
Presumably, then, what is being anticipated is a need related to these computers.
- Each aircraft has two, supplied mainly by Thales. Not just new equipment production, but also the repair and overhaul ecosystem.
- The US FAA proposed an airworthiness directive in 2018 requiring all ELAC units of the Airbus A320 family of aircraft to be upgraded with new software or replaced with upgraded units due to attack issues.
- With approximately 10,000 A320-family aircraft in service (all types and engine options), you can’t quickly pull out and replace every ELAC on the planet. The compliance window and software load options in the FAA airworthiness directive were used.
I’m excited to see how this plays out, as the suggestion is that there will be an immediate flight cancellation package, while I expect it to be smaller. Typically you would expect to see software upgrades loaded onto existing boxes first, with staggered compliance (varying deadlines by serial number, block or flight hours, often tied to C-check/D-check intervals). Meanwhile, Airbus, Thales and maintenance, repair and overhaul shops will ramp up production and repairs.
That is, as long as the problem that is found is no more significant than what we have seen in the past (on the scale of the 737 Max MCAS system that grounded that plane), then I expect the cancellations to be minor and phased in. So I’ll see what actually happens here. JohnNYC notes that flights from yesterday with these aircraft currently show no cancellations.
And in fact, John now confirms that it is a software upgrade that is expected:
I consider it completely confirmed at this point. ELAC, requires software update.
It should take a few hours for each plane, some will take longer than others. The plan is currently being worked on with the FAA. https://t.co/v8fEgne6wv
– JonNYC (@xJonNYC) 28 November 2025
Airbus, for its part, has issued a vaguely worded statement that “intense solar radiation can corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls” and they have:
[W]Proactively worked with aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via Alert Operator Transmission (AOT) to implement available software and/or hardware protections and ensure the fleet is safe to fly.
…Airbus acknowledges that these recommendations will cause operational disruptions for passengers and customers.
Specific details of timing and flight cancellations will be forthcoming.
View from the wing over
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