Airlines Near Completion Of Airbus A320 Software Upgrade After Global Alert

Indian airlines are racing to complete a major software and hardware upgrade across hundreds of Airbus A320 aircraft, following a worldwide safety directive issued by the European plane-maker. As of Saturday evening, the bulk of India's A320 fleet has already undergone the mandatory update, with carriers expecting full compliance before the safety deadline expires tonight.

Data shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) shows that 338 A320-series aircraft operated by IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express required an immediate software realignment after Airbus flagged vulnerabilities in a key flight-control system. Of these, 270 aircraft -- roughly 80 per cent -- have already been cleared.

IndiGo, which operates the country's largest A320 fleet, had 200 aircraft requiring the update. The airline has already completed software upgrades on 184 of them and expects full completion by 11:59 pm on Saturday. IndiGo said no flights have been cancelled during the process, and work is being carried out across major bases in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

Air India reported similar progress. Of its 113 affected aircraft - including 104 A320neo and nine A320ceo jets, around 80 have undergone the necessary realignment. The airline said it has maintained full operational schedules without cancellations while undertaking upgrades at its stations across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.

Air India Express, operating a smaller A320 fleet, has seen the most visible impact. Of 25 aircraft requiring updates, 17 have been completed. The carrier has cancelled four flights so far, with further delay data still being compiled. The airline expects full compliance by the end of the day, with work being carried out at its bases in Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai.

'Minimal Impact On Operations'

Air India Express said engineering teams have been working round-the-clock with Airbus to minimise passenger impact.

"We have completed the precautionary safety actions on the majority of our Airbus A320 fleet, with the remaining aircraft on track for completion within the advised timeline. This has been achieved with minimal impact on operations through the coordinated efforts of our engineering, operations, and flight safety teams. Air India Express continues to work closely with Airbus and the relevant authorities, reaffirming our commitment to safe and reliable operations," a statement from Air India Express read. 

Should Passengers Expect Disruptions?

For now, widespread cancellations appear unlikely. Both IndiGo and Air India have confirmed that the mandatory update has not resulted in flight cancellations. But there is a probability that passengers may experience delays or minor rescheduling as aircraft undergo checks that extend turnaround times.

Airlines have advised travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport, given the heightened maintenance activity across multiple hubs.

Why Is This Happening

The sweeping software fix on A320-family aircraft follows a global directive from Airbus, triggered after a recent incident where the flight-control computer -- specifically the "elevator/aileron computer (ELAC)" -- was identified as potentially susceptible to corruption under intense solar radiation. 

Because the A320-family is widely used -- including by the Indian carriers -- the update impacts a large number of aircraft worldwide - over 6,000 according to Airbus.

The DGCA has issued a mandatory airworthiness directive requiring all Indian operators of A320-family jets to complete the software (or hardware, if needed) upgrade before their next scheduled flights.