“TAP has completed the update of its entire affected fleet, totaling 41 aircraft,” the airline stated in a communication, emphasizing that the process was carried out “without disrupting operations and always maintaining the safety of passengers and crew.”
The carrier, which reported on Saturday that it is in the midst of updating the flight control software on its A320 aircraft, highlighted the “extraordinary achievement only made possible thanks to the unparalleled proactivity, coordination, and dedication” of its Maintenance & Engineering teams and the Operational Control Center.
Airbus announced on Friday the recall of approximately 6,000 A320 aircraft for the urgent replacement of flight control software due to issues caused by exposure to solar radiation.
In a statement, the aerospace manufacturer informed it had requested all client airlines using this software to “immediately suspend their flights” following the analysis of a technical incident that occurred on October 30 on a JetBlue flight between Cancún, Mexico, and Newark, near New York, when an aircraft had to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida.
The analysis of the incident “revealed that intense solar radiation can corrupt essential data for the operation of flight controls.”
For most aircraft, the software update from the previous version was expected to take “a few hours.” However, for about 1,000 aircraft, it involves replacing the computer hardware, “which will take weeks,” a source connected to the process revealed to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Airbus A320, which entered service in 1988, is the world’s best-selling aircraft. In September, Airbus surpassed the Boeing 737, from the American manufacturer Boeing, whose first unit was delivered in 1968.
By the end of September, Airbus had delivered 12,257 A320 aircraft (including executive class versions), compared to 12,254 Boeing 737s.
