DGCA: Software upgrades done on over half of India’s affected A320 fleet

India’s aviation sector moved into high gear on Saturday as airlines raced against the clock to complete mandatory software upgrades on hundreds of Airbus A320 family aircraft, following a global safety alert over a rare but potentially serious flight-control vulnerability.

According to DGCA data, 338 A320-series aircraft operated by Indian carriers require the urgent software fix — triggered by Airbus’ revelation that intense solar radiation may corrupt critical flight-control data in certain jets. Despite the scale of the task, upgrades have already been completed on 189 aircraft, more than half the affected fleet, as of 10 am on 29 November.

Though no flights have been cancelled so far, sources told PTI that delays of 60–90 minutes have become unavoidable as technicians work round-the-clock at major aviation hubs including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued an Airworthiness Directive early Saturday, ordering airlines to complete the fixes by 5:29 a.m. on November 30, aligning with advisories from Airbus and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express—India’s primary operators of the A320 family—are at the centre of this massive technical exercise:

• IndiGo: 200 aircraft affected; 143 already upgraded

• Air India: 113 aircraft affected; 42 upgraded

• Air India Express: 25 aircraft affected; 4 upgraded

Air India said in a post on X that its engineers have been “working round-the-clock” and that over 40 per cent of its impacted aircraft have already undergone resets. The airline stressed that there have been no cancellations, though minor delays or schedule shifts are expected.

The root of the crisis lies in Airbus’ analysis of a recent incident involving an A320 family jet. The company found that solar radiation—at sufficiently intense levels—could corrupt data processed by the aircraft’s Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC), a key component governing flight controls. EASA has since asked operators to ensure installation of serviceable ELAC units where required.

Airbus has acknowledged that the prescribed corrective steps will cause operational disruptions, but emphasised that the fixes are essential to ensure uncompromised flight safety.

As airlines continue to push teams and resources to the limit, the industry remains focused on meeting the stringent deadline—ensuring every affected aircraft returns to the skies with the upgraded safeguards firmly in place.

With PTI inputs