Cancun, Q.R. — More than a dozen flights into Cancun International have already been affected by a new Airbus software safety order. An immediate software update to Airbus planes is being blamed for the global disruption.
Between Saturday and Sunday, more than a dozen flights into Cancun International had already been affected. According to Airbus, approximately half of their fleet, around 6,000 planes, mostly Airbus A320s, require the immediate update.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury released a statement Saturday saying “the fix required on some A320 aircraft has been causing significant logistical challenges and delays since yesterday.
“I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now. But we consider that nothing is more important than safety when people fly on one of our Airbus Aircraft – like millions do every day.
“Our teams are working around the clock to support our operators and ensure these updates are deployed as swiftly as possible to get planes back in the sky and resume normal operations, with the safety assurance you expect from Airbus.”
Operational disruptions are expected as airlines start to implement the software update regarding a vulnerablilty to sun exposure.
The vulnerability was detected in the software in October after a JetBlue flight from Cancun to New Jersey lost altitude and was forced to make an emergency landing in Florida.
It is believed that the drop in altitude of the JetBlue flight was due to intense solar radiation interference. That intense interference corrupted computer data that controlled the plane’s elevation.
At the time Airbus issued its notice, more than 350 operators were expected to be grounded for the update. British Airways has reported only three of their planes were affected and would be updated overnight, however, American Airlines says 340 of their planes require the software update.
The required safety update has led to mass cancellations while European aerospace giant Airbus carries out immediate software updates. Some of the airlines affected include American, Avianca, Delta Air, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, Turkish Airlines and United, all airlines with flights into Cancun International.
