TAP completed the update of the flight control software for its A320 aircraft, following problems detected by Airbus, with a total of 41 impacted aircraft, without disrupting the operation, the airline announced today.
“TAP has already completed the update of its entire impacted fleet, totaling 41 aircraft”, the airline said in a statement, highlighting that the process took place “without disruption to the operation and always maintaining the safety of passengers and crew”.
The carrier, which reported on Saturday that it was updating the flight control software for its A320 aircraft, highlighted “the extraordinary feat only achieved thanks to the unique proactivity, coordination and dedication” of its Maintenance & Engineering and Operational Control Center teams.
Airbus announced on Friday the recall of approximately 6,000 A320 aircraft for urgent replacement of the flight control software, due to problems caused by exposure to solar radiation.
In a statement, the aeronautical manufacturer said it had asked all airline customers that use this ‘software’ to “immediately suspend their flights”, after analyzing a technical incident that occurred on October 30 on a JetBlue flight between Cancún, in Mexico, and Newark, near New York, when an aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.
Analysis of the incident “revealed that intense solar radiation can corrupt data essential for the operation of flight controls”.
For most aircraft, the software update from the previous version was expected to take “a few hours”. But, for around 1000 aircraft, it involves changing the computer hardware, “which will take weeks”, a source linked to the process revealed to France-Presse (AFP).
The Airbus A320, which entered service in 1988, is the best-selling aircraft in the world. In September, Airbus dethroned the Boeing 737, from the North American manufacturer Boeing, whose first unit was delivered in 1968.
At the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 A320 planes (including business class versions), compared to 12,254 Boeing 737s.