Solar radiation may impact flight controls, prompting urgent Airbus recall
Global flight delays and cancellations are likely as airlines work to fix the issue
An urgent recall issued Friday may force airlines to install software updates or change out computers on thousands of Airbus aircraft, potentially leading to worldwide delays and cancellations heading into this weekend.
The software update comes after the brief but sudden descent of a passenger flight over the Gulf of Mexico on Oct. 30.
DON’T MISS: Pilots were showered with glass in weather balloon strike, probe shows
A scary plunge prompted the software update
“Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls,” an Airbus spokesperson said on Friday.
The spokesperson added that neutrons, high-energy particles emitted in solar radiation, could cause “malfunctions in onboard computers,” necessitating either a software update or outright hardware changes to prevent any negative effects.
Airbus says that approximately 15 per cent of the affected planes will require new hardware to fix the problem, while the remaining 85 per cent only require a software update.
The urgent fix stems from an incident on an Oct. 30 JetBlue flight between Cancun, Mexico, and Newark, New Jersey.
Numerous people were reportedly hospitalized when the plane entered a sudden descent for several seconds while at cruising altitude. Pilots were able to quickly regain control of the plane and safely divert the flight to Tampa, Florida.
Earth has felt the effects of several high-profile solar storms over the past year and a half, which triggered widespread auroras across North America and Europe in May 2024, again in October 2024, with another significant aurora show earlier this month.
Records from NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) show that there were only G1 geomagnetic storm conditions on the day of the JetBlue incident, with the greatest effects likely missing North America.
Canadian airlines don’t expect delays
Airlines and travellers around the world are bracing for potential delays brought on by the sudden need to update or replace thousands of onboard flight computers. Fortunately for Canadian travellers, this isn’t likely to pose an issue for domestic airlines.
“Very few of our aircraft use that version of the software and we don’t expect any impact on our operations,” Air Canada told The Weather Network on Friday.
Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge together operate 77 aircraft in the A320 family, representing about 31 per cent of the airlines’ combined fleet of 247 passenger jets, according to information on the company's website.
RELATED: What is the longest domestic direct flight in Canada?
A spokesperson for Air Transat told The Weather Network that “we anticipate very minor adjustments to our flight schedule” on Friday evening, with no further issues through the weekend.
“We remain fully committed to maintaining the highest safety standards,” the airline added.
Canada’s remaining major domestic airlines, including Air Canada Express, WestJet, Porter Airlines, and Flair Airlines, don’t operate Airbus aircraft in their current fleets.
Flights to, from, and within the United States and Europe may see greater effects due to the safety recall. American Airlines and Delta Air Lines both rank among the world’s largest Airbus customers.
Header image courtesy of Unsplash and for illustrative purposes only.
Contains files from Scott Sutherland, a meteorologist and science writer for The Weather Network.