Airlines Recover After Airbus Radiation Alert Causes Global Disruption

Thousands of Airbus aircraft are finally getting back in the air after being grounded for hours over fears that solar radiation could mess with their flight control computers.

Airbus, headquartered in France, said about 6,000 A320 series planes were affected. Most only needed a quick software update, but around 900 older jets will require full computer replacements before they can safely return to service.

According to French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, the process has gone smoothly for more than 5,000 planes, and Airbus told him fewer than 100 aircraft still need to be updated.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury has apologised for the delays and the logistical chaos since Friday, assuring the public that teams are working nonstop to get every aircraft back up as fast as possible.

Some airlines felt the heat more than others. Air France reported delays and cancellations at Charles de Gaulle on Saturday morning. American Airlines had 340 planes affected, expecting operational slowdowns, while Delta said its disruptions should stay minimal.

In the UK, impact has been relatively light. Gatwick reported minor disruption, Heathrow no cancellations, and Manchester and Luton don’t expect major issues. The UK Civil Aviation Authority also confirmed airlines worked overnight, keeping delays to a minimum.

EasyJet says a large chunk of its fleet has already been updated and they’re running normally. Wizz Air also confirmed smooth operations after completing updates during the night. British Airways and Air India haven’t been hit hard.

Australia, however, took a bigger blow. Jetstar cancelled 90 flights, saying roughly a third of its fleet was affected and disruptions will likely continue through the weekend. Air New Zealand grounded its A320s too but flights have now resumed.

This all began after a JetBlue flight between the US and Mexico suddenly dropped altitude and had to make an emergency landing in October, injuring at least 15 passengers. A deeper look revealed a flaw in the software that calculates altitude and at high altitudes, intense bursts of solar radiation can corrupt the data.

Alongside the A320, A318, A319, and A321 models were also affected.

While over 5,000 planes only needed a software fix, those 900 older aircraft will stay grounded until their computers are swapped out and how fast that happens depends entirely on how quickly new units can be sourced.