Airbus averts further travel disruption by fixing most jets hit by software glitch | Airbus

Airbus has fixed most of its jets affected by a software glitch, avoiding further travel disruption after thousands of its planes were grounded due to a technical problem.

Airlines around the world canceled and delayed flights over the weekend after the French plane maker ordered urgent repairs to 6,000 jets of its A320 family, more than half of its global fleet.

Airbus said on Friday that analysis of a recent incident showed that “intense solar radiation could have corrupted data critical to the functioning of flight controls”.

The alert marked the biggest withdrawal in Airbus’s 55-year history and came just weeks after the A320 overtook the rival Boeing 737 as the most-delivered jet.

The withdrawal also coincided with the Thanksgiving weekend in the US, where Delta, United and American Airlines faced problems during the busiest travel period of the year.

Airbus said last week that about 6,000 A320 planes needed software or hardware fixes to fix the problems. On Monday she said most of those reforms had been completed.

“Airbus apologizes for any disruption and delays caused to passengers and airlines by this incident,” the company said.

Airbus said in a statement that there are now fewer than 100 planes that require a software update before returning to service. However, Deutsche Bank analysts estimate that up to 15% of the planes may still require a hardware upgrade.

Britain’s transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said at the weekend: “The impact on UK airlines appears to be limited. It is pleasing that this issue has been identified and will be addressed so swiftly, demonstrating the high aviation safety standards globally.”

For most A320 aircraft affected, the solution is relatively simple, requiring the installation of an older version of the software. This process takes approximately two to three hours per aircraft.

London-listed airlines easyJet and Wizz Air told investors on Monday morning that they had completed software updates over the weekend without canceling any flights.

However, for older aircraft the solution may be more complex. Arin Chikri, an equity analyst at investment broker Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “For some older aircraft, about 900 aircraft will require hardware changes before they can fly again, which could take several weeks due to limited supply.”

US low-cost airline JetBlue said late Sunday it expected to be able to return 137 of the 150 affected planes back to service by Monday and planned to cancel about 20 flights, according to Reuters.

Paris-listed Airbus shares have fallen about 5% over the past five days, although they have risen about 18% so far this year. The company, which is headquartered near Toulouse, employs approximately 157,000 people worldwide.