Thousands of airplanes are back in the air after being grounded for a few hours. The problem? The sun’s radiation could hurt the computers that control how planes fly. Flights are returning to normal after Airbus grounded planes, and now things are getting better every day.
What Happened?
Airbus, which is a major French aeronautics company, discovered a significant issue. Their flight control computers carry the risk of failure due to a high-energy event originating from the sun. The sun’s rays can interfere with the calculations carried out by the computer to determine the altitude of the plane when it is flying at a very high level.
How Many Planes?
About 6,000 Airbus planes had this problem. Most of them just needed a quick software fix, kind of like when your phone needs an update. But around 900 older planes needed a completely new computer instead. Flights returning to normal after Airbus grounded planes happened faster than people expected because teams worked all night to fix the problem.
Fixing the Problem
The good news is that most planes got fixed super fast. The French government said that over 5,000 planes got the update without any trouble. Only about 100 planes still needed help. The head of Airbus told people he was sorry for making flights late and said his team would not stop working until every plane was safe.
Delays Around the World
Some airports had problems on Saturday morning. In France, Paris’s big airport had flights delayed or cancelled. In America, American Airlines said about 340 of its planes needed the fix and warned people about possible delays. Flights returning to normal after Airbus’ warning grounded planes didn’t take long in the United States either.
In the United Kingdom, things went much better. Airports like Heathrow and Gatwick did not have many cancellations. British Airways and Air India had very few problems. EasyJet finished the update on many of its planes and flew as normal.
In Australia, budget airline Jetstar cancelled 90 flights because about one-third of its planes needed the update. But Air New Zealand fixed all its planes and got flying again by Saturday.
Why Did This Happen?
The issue began in October when a JetBlue airplane on a trip from the United States to Mexico abruptly descended at a very high speed. The pilots had to perform an emergency landing, and injuries were inflicted on a minimum of 15 people. Following that crash, Airbus discovered the malfunction and determined that the solar radiation was the culprit.
Which Planes Are Affected?
This issue is the cause of a suspension of scenarios for the models of the Airbus named the A320, A318, A319, and A321. These are very popular planes that airlines use all around the world. Flights get back to normal after the Airbus caution that led to the grounding of planes, as Airbus was quick to assist everyone.
What Comes Next?
The simple software update fixes most planes. But the older planes need a whole new computer, so they have to stay on the ground longer. Airbus has to find and install these new computers, which takes time because they need to make sure they have enough computers available. Flights returning to normal after Airbus’ warning grounded planes should continue to improve as more and more computers arrive and get installed.
