Software glitch affecting Airbus planes may cause disruption, but minister downplays impact on UK travellers

Christopher Jasper Transport industry editor. Gareth Corfield Transport Correspondent. Robert White

28 November 2025 11:30pm GMT

Thousands of passengers are bracing themselves for travel chaos after Airbus was forced to ground planes to fix a software glitch linked to bursts of solar radiation.

However, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, on Friday night downplayed the problem, saying the impact on UK flights “seems limited”.

Airbus revealed on Friday that around 6,000 of its A320 planes are exposed to the vulnerability, which is understood to have been introduced following a software upgrade.

The vulnerability has meant that flight controls can be corrupted by “intense solar radiation”.

Around 900 of the planes will probably be taken out of action for more extensive work.

The UK Civil Aviation Agency said aircraft that could not be modified over the weekend will have to “remain on the ground from Sunday onwards”.

“This action is likely to mean that unfortunately there may be some disruption and cancellations to flights,” it said.

Ms Alexander said on Friday: “I am aware of the technical issue impacting certain aircraft and concerns over how this will affect passengers and flights this evening.

“Passengers who are due to fly this weekend should check with their carriers for the latest information.

“The good news is it seems the impact on UK airlines seems limited with a smaller number of aircraft requiring more complex software and hardware changes.

“I would really like to thank the experts, staff and airlines who are working at pace to address this and reassure passengers that work is ongoing.

“It is heartening this issue has been identified and will be addressed so swiftly demonstrating the high aviation safety standards globally.”

British Airways said that no more than half a dozen of its planes are believed to be impacted and that they will require only a software update.

‘No impact’

Wizz Air said some of its jets contained the rogue software and “as a result, some flights over the weekend may be affected”. It had already scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with recommendations of the European air-safety regulator.

Other European operators include easyJet, Jet2, Air France and Lufthansa.

Jet2 told The Telegraph the issue would not have any effect on flights over the coming days.

A spokesman for the company said: “In line with other operators of Airbus aircraft, we are installing software updates on a very small number of aircraft in our fleet. We can confirm there will be no impact to our flying programme as a result.”

EasyJet, in an update on its fleet affected by the problem, said that it had already “completed the software update on many aircraft” and was continuing to work closely with safety authorities.

‘Safety priority’

The firm said it intended to operate its Saturday flying programme “normally” and added: “Following the safety directive, we have commenced and already completed the software update on many aircraft which require them and continue to work closely with the safety authorities.

“We plan to operate our flying programme normally on Saturday and ask that customers travelling continue to monitor their flights on flight tracker.

“Safety is our highest priority and easyJet will fully comply with the directive and always operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with manufacturers guidelines.”

Gatwick Airport also warned passengers may face some disruption over the coming days.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of the directive, which may result in some disruption. This is only impacting a small number of airlines at London Gatwick. Passengers should contact their airline for more information.”

The A320 is the most sold model in the history of aviation, used by most of the world’s major airlines.

While most of Airbus’s aircraft can be fixed by reinstalling the original software, about 15 per cent will also require hardware modifications, meaning they will be effectively grounded for passenger flights.

The software issue was discovered after an incident in late October when a JetBlue A320 flying from Mexico to New Jersey suffered a sudden drop in altitude after a flight-control problem that lasted for “30 seconds or more” according to aviation website Simple Flying. It led to 15 people being taken to hospital after an emergency landing.

Airbus investigated the incident and made the connection with a solar storm at the time.

Radiation corrupts data

It said: “Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.

“Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service which may be impacted.”

Solar radiation can severely impact modern infrastructure, causing power outages and disruption to satellites, GPS and communication systems.

Airbus said that reinstating the original software can be done in a matter of hours while planes are out of service overnight.

However, the 900 or so jets requiring physical modifications will need to be flown to specialist repair shops, meaning that they could be out of action for some time.

An emergency airworthiness directive document issued by the EU Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) instructed airlines to carry out software updates on affected aircraft.

Older A320s may need new Elevator Aileron Computers (ELACs), which control the aeroplanes’ flight control surfaces, EASA said.

An aviation source told The Telegraph that each jet would need around two hours for either software updates or new ELACs to physically be installed, describing the process as “probably not too difficult”.

EASA said the malfunction concerned a computer that controls part of the A320 which forms part of the wing.

It said: “This condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft’s structural capability.”

 

source : https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/28/software-issue-airbus-planes-travel-disruption-flights/