The aircraft manufacturer Airbus had to update the software on thousands of its aircraft worldwide on Friday. The reason for this was an incident at one of them A320 family aircraft End of October. According to Airbus, it has been shown that intense sunlight can damage data that is important for control.
On Saturday, airlines around the world were still working hard to solve the software problem on the Airbus planes A320 Family to fix. To do this, they had to install new software at short notice on Friday and Saturday.
A company spokesman estimated that a total of around 6,000 aircraft are likely to be affected. By Saturday morning, several airlines reported rapid progress. Nevertheless, dozens of flights were canceled and passengers were warned of possible delays.
ANA had to cancel 65 flights
Japan’s largest airline ANA canceled 65 flights because of the problem. It was said that there could still be disruptions in air traffic on Sunday. In India, according to the aviation regulator there, a total of 338 machines the software needs to be updated. The necessary work should be completed by Sunday.
Air India announced that no major impacts were expected. However, some flights may be delayed or rebooked. Airlines in Australia and South Korea made similar comments.
More than 200 American Airlines fliers affected
At American Airlines According to the company, 209 aircraft were affected. However, the airline was confident that almost all aircraft should have the new software version by Saturday morning (US local time). The busiest travel weekend of the year is taking place in the USA because of the Thanksgiving family holiday.
Lower impact in Europe
Die AUA parent Lufthansa began implementing the measures prescribed by Airbus in the evening. A spokesman said that the majority of the software updates could be carried out overnight and on Saturday morning. “There are unlikely to be any flight cancellations by the Lufthansa Group airlines due to the situation, but isolated delays at the weekend cannot be ruled out.”
In Great Britain, Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said on Friday evening that only a small number of aircraft were affected. London airports expected no or only isolated impacts on air traffic. Air France canceled 35 flights on Friday, but expected a quick return to normal operations after individual cancellations on Saturday.