Indian airlines complete software upgrades on 323 A320 family aircraft

Indian carriers have completed crucial software upgrades on 323 operational A320 family aircraft to address a potential flight control issue, the aviation regulator DGCA said on Sunday.

Earlier this week, Airbus had flagged that intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to flight controls in a significant number of A320 family planes. The company had warned that implementing the necessary software changes might cause operational disruptions.

A total of 338 aircraft operated by the three Indian carriers, IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express, were initially identified for the software upgrades. Of these, 323 were operational, six were under base maintenance, and nine were later found not to require the modifications, according to a senior DGCA official.

IndiGo completed the upgrades on all 200 of its operational A320 family planes. Air India upgraded 100 of its 113 affected aircraft, while four were under maintenance and nine did not require modifications. Air India Express completed upgrades on 23 planes, with two others under maintenance for redelivery.

On Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued an Airworthiness Directive instructing airlines to carry out the required software upgrades immediately. The move followed a global alert from Airbus and an Emergency Airworthiness Directive from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The upgrades involve installing a serviceable Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC), which is critical for controlling the aircraft’s elevators and ailerons. This measure ensures that flight controls remain fully operational, mitigating the risks identified by Airbus.