Because of the need for immediate software updates on A320s, a number of carriers have faced delays and cancellations worldwide.
Scale of impact
The size of the problem varies by airline: some completed the work quickly and do not expect further disruption, while others are experiencing significant schedule interruptions.
Wizz Air updated the software on all its A320s overnight and does not expect additional complications. Air France canceled 35 flights, and Lufthansa recorded isolated delays and cancellations over the weekend.
Air India identified 113 aircraft for inspection and has already updated software on 42 of them, forecasting only minor delays without flight cancellations. IndiGo reported updates on 143 of its 200 aircraft and warned of possible delays.
Japanese carrier ANA Holdings canceled 65 flights. American Airlines must update the software on 209 of its A320s, which may also cause delays across its network.
Avianca and ticket sales
The hardest hit was Colombian carrier Avianca: the company says more than 70% of its fleet were affected by the recall, meaning passenger operations will be severely disrupted for the next ten days. The airline has temporarily suspended ticket sales until December 8.
Technical details and model prevalence
The A320 model is designed for short- and medium-haul routes and is one of the most widespread in the world. There are about 11,300 such aircraft in service, roughly 6,000 of which require checks related to the October 30 incident when a JetBlue flight from Cancun to New Jersey made an emergency landing at Tampa airport.
Software updates typically take about three hours for most aircraft. Older variants require a physical replacement of onboard computers. It was initially estimated that such replacements would affect around 900 aircraft, but the manufacturer has informed airlines that the actual number is lower.
- In early October the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 in number of aircraft and became the most popular airliner in history.
