Airbus corrects critical fault on thousands of A320s, but nearly 100 aircraft will remain grounded

Airbus acted swiftly to update a faulty navigation control program on thousands of Airbus A320 aircraft after ordering the immediate suspension of flights on Friday due to a glitch that could compromise flight commands.

Although the vast majority of the fleet received the correction between Friday and Saturday morning, about a hundred aircraft will remain grounded for longer.

The manufacturer did not offer official figures, but French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot assured that Airbus managed to intervene already more than 5,000 aircraft, significantly reducing the risk of prolonged outages. According to the minister, the number of aircraft that will remain out of service is much lower than initially estimated, per AFP.

The failure in the ELAC system, a computer that controls elevators and ailerons, was exposed after an incident on Oct. 30. On that day, a JetBlue A320 momentarily lost control during a flight between Cancún, Mexico, and Newark, N.J., following a data corruption caused by intense solar radiation, forcing an emergency landing in Tampa, Fla., leaving several passengers injured.

The Airbus instruction generated delays and cancellations in multiple regions, from Asia to Latin America. In Colombia, Avianca reported "significant" interruptions because more than 70% of its fleet requires the upgrade, and suspended ticket sales until Dec. 8. In the United States, American Airlines anticipated some delays, while JetBlue and Delta are moving forward with the necessary modifications to their A320s and A321s.

In Europe, Air France explained that it would be able to carry almost all its passengers this Saturday, while Lufthansa ruled out cancellations although it admitted possible "isolated delays." U.K.-based airline easyJet completed all updates without canceling flights. In Mexico, Volaris and Viva Aerobús reported delays, without specifying how many aircraft are affected.