Portugal Colonial - Air travel faces disruptions over A320 software switch

The European plane-maker instructed its clients to take "immediate precautionary action" after evaluating a technical malfunction onboard a JetBlue flight in October.

"Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls," Airbus stated, adding that "a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service" may be affected.

Replacing the software will take "a few hours" on most planes but for some 1,000 aircraft, the process "will take weeks", a source close to the issue told AFP.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in a statement Airbus had informed it about the issue.

"These measures may cause short-term disruption to flight schedules and therefore inconvenience to passengers," EASA said, adding that "safety is paramount".

The faulty software, the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), is made by Thales.

The aerospace and defence giant told AFP that "the feature in question is part of software that is not Thales's responsibility".

The Airbus statement did not specify which company had designed the software.

"Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers," it said, apologising for the inconvenience.

On October 30, a JetBlue-operated A320 aircraft encountered an in-flight control issue due to a computer malfunction.

The plane suddenly nosedived as it travelled between Cancun in Mexico and Newark in the United States, and pilots had to land in Tampa, Florida.

US media quoted local firefighters saying that some passengers were injured.

JetBlue has not yet responded to AFP's request for comment.

Its competitor, American Airlines, said it had already begun updating software following Friday's alert, and expects "the vast majority" of approximately 340 affected aircraft to be serviced by Saturday.

United Airlines told AFP it had not been "affected" by the incident, without providing further details.

Produced since 1988, the A320 is the best-selling airplane globally, with Airbus selling 12,257 of the aircraft by the end of September compared to the sale of 12,254 Boeing 737s.

V.Dantas--PC