Jetstar has acknowledged disruptions to several of its flights in light of urgent advisories from Airbus, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers. The alert is tied to potential software vulnerabilities in the Airbus A320, which could be affected by solar storms.
On Friday, Airbus revealed that during such cosmic events, the A320’s onboard systems might experience interference, potentially compromising pilots’ ability to control and stabilize the aircraft during flight. This discovery has prompted Airbus to issue an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT), a critical notice urging airlines worldwide to update the software and hardware on the A320 models to mitigate the risks posed by radiation.
“Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service which may be impacted,” the company stated in a formal announcement. The implications are vast, affecting thousands of planes globally, with immediate operational consequences.
Jetstar, in response to the alert, confirmed that some of its Airbus-operated flights faced grounding on Saturday. “Due to an issue affecting Airbus A320 operators globally, some of Jetstar’s Airbus-operated flights are unable to depart at this stage,” a Jetstar representative explained.
Thousands of planes will be affected around the globe, with Jetstar confirming some of its services were ‘unable to depart’ on Saturday.
‘Due to an issue affecting Airbus A320 operators globally, some of Jetstar’s Airbus-operated flights are unable to depart at this stage,’ a Jetstar spokesperson said.
‘We’re working through the impacts on our fleet and to our customers. We’ll have more information shortly.
‘We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused.’
Jetstar passenger Elisha Faith (pictured) said she had been boarding her flight to Sydney from Adelaide when a flight attendant told her it had been cancelled
Queues at Melbourne Airport are seen on Saturday morning
It’s understood the update will not impact Qantas flights. Daily Mail has contacted Virgin Australia in regards to the update.
Huge queues were seen forming at Melbourne Airport before 8am on Saturday.
Jetstar passenger Elisha Faith said she had been boarding her flight to Sydney in Adelaide when a flight attendant told her it had been cancelled.
‘Not delayed, literally cancelled,’ she said in a TikTok video.
‘And apparently all Jetstar Airbus flights are cancelled worldwide, not just here.’
She said her quick-thinking mum booked them on a Virgin flight.
‘You should see the Virgin check-in now, I feel so bad for those ladies,’ she said.
It comes after Airbus urged clients to take ‘immediate precautionary action’ on Friday, adding that a significant number of A320 aircraft will be affected.
Intense solar activity in Earth’s atmosphere results from solar flares or coronal mass ejections striking the planet with charged particles that can damage electronic (stock image)
‘Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers,’ it said.
Replacing the software is expected to take ‘a few hours’ on most planes, however, it could ‘take weeks’ for some 1,000 aircraft, a close source told AFP.
The software, the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), is made by French corporation Thales, one of the world’s leading technology companies in aerospace.
Industry safety experts believe the problem originated on a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey that suddenly suffered an uncontrolled drop in altitude of thousands of feet on October 30, injuring at least 15 people.
An investigation involving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found intense solar radiation corrupted critical data in the flight control computers, causing the plane to momentarily lose accurate positioning information and plunge downwards.
Intense solar radiation in Earth’s atmosphere is often caused by solar flares or coronal mass ejections, which bombard the planet with powerful bursts of charged particles and electromagnetic energy.
These space weather events can sometimes interfere with satellites, GPS, radio signals, and, in this case, even the electronics inside modern aircraft at high altitudes.
It’s understood the update will not impact Qantas flights (pictured, a Jetstar plane)
The Airbus A320 family includes the A319, A320, and longer A321 models. More than 12,000 have now been delivered around the world.
It is a narrow-body, twin-engine plane designed mainly for short and medium-haul flights, like New York to Los Angeles or London to Madrid, and is the aircraft flyers are most likely to board on a typical domestic or regional trip.
Depending on how each airline configures its seats, a single A320-family jet can carry anywhere from about 120 to 240 passengers, making it the airline workhorse that flies millions of people every day.
