【By Observer Group, Qi Qian】

On November 28 local time, Airbus announced that it would immediately recall approximately 6,000 A320 series jet aircraft for maintenance.

Reuters reported that this is one of the largest global recalls in Airbus' 55-year history. The model is widely used around the world, with more than 11,000 A320 series aircraft currently in operation. This action is expected to affect more than half of the global fleet and may cause chaos during the busiest travel weekend in the United States, leading to global flight disruptions.

Airbus stated in a statement that a recent incident involving A320 series aircraft showed that intense solar radiation could damage data critical to the operation of the flight control system, so "a large number of A320 series aircraft" needed to be updated to an earlier software version immediately.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an emergency directive on the evening of the 28th local time, requiring the implementation of repairs.

On November 28 local time, Airbus suddenly announced a large-scale recall

According to Reuters, citing industry sources, the incident involved a JetBlue Airlines flight from Cancun, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey on October 30. At that time, the flight made an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida due to flight control problems and a sudden uncommanded descent, causing a sharp loss in altitude and injuries to several passengers, prompting an investigation by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

It was introduced that the repair mainly involves rolling back to an earlier software version, which is relatively simple. However, according to a notice seen by Reuters sent to airlines, the aircraft must complete the repair before resuming flights, unless they are being transferred to a maintenance center.

Several airlines from the United States to South America, Europe, and India have said that the maintenance may cause flight delays or cancellations.

Airbus maintenance workshop, screenshot of video

It is reported that about 11,300 A320 series aircraft are currently in operation, including 6,440 core A320 models, which first flew in 1987. Four of the top ten A320 series operators globally are major U.S. airlines: American Airlines, Delta Airlines, JetBlue, and United Airlines. Chinese, European, and Indian airlines are also major customers of this model.

Industry sources said that for about two-thirds of the affected aircraft, the recall would theoretically lead to short-term grounding because airlines are simply rolling back to a previous software version, which is a simple operation.

However, this happened at a time when maintenance workshops were already overburdened, as hundreds of Airbus aircraft had been grounded for extended engine repairs or inspections. In addition, the industry is facing a shortage of labor. A senior aviation source told Reuters that arranging maintenance at this time would be a major challenge, given high demand and existing maintenance delays.

This A320 recall has affected several Chinese airlines, as shown in a Reuters map

Airline analyst Rob Morris said that this move raised questions about the immediate availability of hangar space.

Sources also said that some airlines may have longer temporary shutdowns, as over 1,000 affected aircraft need hardware replacement. CNBC also said that hundreds of planes may require hardware replacement, which would result in shutdowns lasting several weeks.

American Airlines, the largest operator of A320 aircraft globally, said that out of its 480 A320 planes, about 340 need repairs. The company said most are expected to be completed by local time on the 29th, with each plane requiring about two hours.

Other airlines said they will have short-term shutdowns for maintenance, including Lufthansa of Germany, IndiGo of India, and easyJet of the UK. Avianca of Colombia said that the recall affects more than 70% of its fleet, about 100 planes, and will cause significant disruptions within the next 10 days.

Reuters mentioned that this sudden recall has triggered a chain reaction globally. In northern Europe, a Finnair flight was delayed by nearly an hour because pilots needed to confirm the software version they were using. In Paris, Air France-Holland said it would cancel 38 flights, accounting for 5% of its daily total. Volaris of Mexico said it would face delays or cancellations of up to 72 hours.

The A320, launched by Airbus in 1984, was the first mainstream jet passenger aircraft to introduce fly-by-wire computer control. The model is a major competitor to the Boeing 737 MAX. In recent years, with the growth of the Asian economy, the demand for these two main jet models has surged.

The Boeing 737 MAX faced a long global grounding after fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019 due to flawed flight control software. At the same time, the global delay in aircraft deliveries has become increasingly severe, with supply chain issues and Boeing's production halt due to a large-scale strike further exacerbating the situation, with many Boeing and Airbus models' orders now scheduled until the end of this decade.

Foreign media such as Bloomberg previously pointed out that, against this background, COMAC (China Commercial Aircraft Corporation) is increasing its efforts to expand into overseas markets, and the possibility of securing aircraft orders in countries in Southeast Asia and other regions is increasing.

This article is an exclusive article from Observer Group and may not be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7577947564280971828/

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