Posted on 11/28/2025 8:02:58 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
Airlines around the world canceled and delayed flights heading into the weekend to fix software on a widely used commercial aircraft after an analysis found the computer code may have contributed to a sudden drop in the altitude of a JetBlue plane last month.
Airbus said Friday that an examination of the JetBlue incident revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls on the A320 family of aircraft.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a directive requiring operators of the A320 to address the issue and said it may cause “short-term disruption” to flight schedules. The problem was introduced by a software update to the plane’s onboard computers, according to the agency.
In Japan, All Nippon Airways, which operates more than 30 planes, canceled 65 domestic flights for Saturday. Additional cancellations on Sunday were possible, it said.
The software change comes as U.S. passengers were beginning to head home from the Thanksgiving holiday, which is the busiest travel time in the country.
American Airlines has about 480 planes from the A320 family, of which 209 are affected. The fix should take about two hours for many aircraft and updates should be completed for the overwhelming majority on Friday, the airline said. A handful will be finished Saturday.
Delta said it expected the issue to affect less than 50 of its A321neo aircraft. United said six planes in its fleet are affected and it expects minor disruptions to a few flights. Hawaiian Airlines said it was unaffected.
Mike Stengel, a partner with the aerospace industry management consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, said the fix could be addressed between flights or on overnight plane checks.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Aviation Ping!................
That seems awfully fast................Is this gonna be like the mRNA shots for the Airbus?..............
Emirates buys itself a 777-10 feasibility study with airshow mega-order
Airbus follows with its own stretched A350 study.
https://theaircurrent.com/aircraft-development/emirates-boeing-777-10-feasibility-study-dubai/
Airbus Draws Another Blank With Emirates as Deal Remains Elusive
Benedikt Kammel and Leen Al-Rashdan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-18/airbus-draws-another-blank-with-emirates-as-deal-remains-elusive
Emirates’ Airbus A380 Problem
Daniel Fowkes
25 Oct 2025
https://djsaviation.net/emirates-airbus-a380-problem/
The Emirates Boeing 777
https://www.emirates.com/us/english/experience/our-fleet/boeing-777/
(Not a fan of Airbus anyhoo.)
Global Warming now threatens air craft safety!
It’s safe and effective....................🤔
And now with metaphor, good show my FRiend.
I find this odd? The hull of the aircraft is in effect a Faraday Cage. How can a software fix correct this?
What say you Red Badger?
PS I realize first reports are rarely accurate.
Perhaps the radiation comes in through the aircraft’s nosecone which is made of fiberglass or similar radar transparent materials..............
,,, I thought the hull was made of carbon fibre composites and the airframe was aluminum or maybe titanium?
The newest aircraft have carbon fiber composite shells. Some of the older designs have pieces of the outer shell made of it.
Aluminum and titanium are their skeletons...............
Are Boeing or Airbus aircraft made of carbon fiber?
BRAVE AI:
Yes, both Boeing and Airbus aircraft are made with significant use of carbon fiber, particularly in their newer models. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350 XWB are the most prominent examples, with each using carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) for approximately 50% of their airframe weight.
The fuselage and wings of both aircraft are primarily constructed from carbon fiber composites, which significantly reduces weight and improves fuel efficiency.
This extensive use of composites allows for more aerodynamic designs, such as the A350 XWB’s swept wingtips, which reduce fuel consumption.
Carbon fiber is also used in other aircraft models. For instance, the Boeing 777 and 777X incorporate CFRPs in components like the tail and wing structures, while the Airbus A380 uses composites in various parts, saving an estimated 15 tonnes in weight.
Even business jets like the Gulfstream G650 and military aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and B-2 Spirit utilize carbon fiber composites for structural components.
The use of carbon fiber extends to jet engines, where it is used in fan blades to improve efficiency and reduce noise.
While the primary materials in older aircraft remain aluminum and titanium, the trend in modern airliner design is a significant shift toward composites, with the 787 and A350 setting a new standard for the industry.
AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.
Cosmic rays can be charged particles, not just EM waves.
Planes grounded after Airbus discovers solar radiation could impact systems
None of American Airlines A320 variants have fuselages made of carbon fiber. American cancelled their A350 order in 2017. The only carbon fiber fuselages at American Airlines are Boeing B-787.
Ain’t technology grand Moe.
More software developed by low-pay Indian subcontractors causing airline crashes?
> (Not a fan of Airbus anyhoo.)<
Nor I.
Airbus= Autopilot flies the plane. Pilot flies the autopilot.
Boeing= Pilot flies the plane. Pilot controls the autopilot.
This is becoming less true over time.
EC
Correct you are...
From AI...aluminum can provide some shielding, it is not completely effective against all types of radiation, especially more penetrating cosmic rays
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