Kuala lumpur: AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd has started a mandatory software rollback on its Airbus A320 Family aircraft in compliance with an urgent Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued by certification authorities. The airline confirmed that the directive does not affect its A330 fleet. It is prioritizing the swift execution of the required changes and will adjust its flight operations as necessary to ensure compliance.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the group's chief executive officer, Bo Lingam, stated that the carrier aims to complete the process within 48 hours while minimizing disruption. "We are taking immediate steps to comply with the Airworthiness Directive and aim to complete the process within the next 48 hours, while ensuring minimal disruption to our guests. We seek our guests' understanding, as these mandated measures are essential in upholding the highest standards of operational safety," he said in a statement.
Media reports, citing Airbus sources, indicated that about 6,000 aircraft worldwide could be affected across the aviation industry. In a separate statement, Airbus explained that a recent analysis of an event involving an A320 Family aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation might corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.
The European plane maker stated that it has identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service that may be impacted and has taken immediate steps in collaboration with global aviation authorities. "Airbus has worked proactively with the aviation authorities to request immediate precautionary action from operators via an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) in order to implement the available software and hardware protection, and ensure the fleet is safe to fly. This AOT will be reflected in an Emergency Airworthiness Directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)," it said.
Airbus acknowledged that the measures might lead to operational disruptions for passengers and customers and apologized for the inconvenience caused.