European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has issued an urgent directive to its airline customers to immediately halt flights of approximately 6,000 A320 aircraft due to a critical software vulnerability that makes the planes susceptible to solar radiation interference. The unprecedented grounding affects one of the world's most widely used commercial aircraft models.
The software flaw specifically impacts the aircraft's flight control systems, which can be compromised when exposed to intense solar radiation. This vulnerability poses potential safety risks during flight operations, particularly during periods of heightened solar activity or when flying at high altitudes where aircraft are more exposed to cosmic radiation.
The directive comes as aviation safety authorities work closely with Airbus to assess the full scope of the problem. Airlines worldwide are scrambling to accommodate passengers and reschedule flights as they comply with the immediate grounding order. The A320 family represents a significant portion of many carriers' fleets, making this directive particularly disruptive to global air travel.
Airbus engineers are working around the clock to develop and test a software patch that would address the radiation vulnerability. The company has not yet provided a timeline for when the affected aircraft might return to service, though industry experts suggest the fix could take several days to weeks to implement across the entire fleet once approved by aviation regulators.
