Wizz, easyJet finish software fixes on Airbus A320s without disruption

(Sharecast News) - Budget airlines easyJet and Wizz said they had completed software upgrades to their fleets of Airbus A320 planes over the weekend without any cancellations after a warning from the manufacturer on Friday that solar radiation could interfere with onboard computers. Easyjet added that its financial outlook remained unchanged. France-based Airbus said about 6,000 of the aircraft had been affected, with most requiring a swift software update while around 900 older planes need a replacement computer.

Hungary-based Wizz identified 83 operational aircraft within its fleet requiring the software update. The airline operates 250 A320 and 321 planes.

Airbus discovered the issue after a JetBlue Airways plane flying between the US and Mexico suddenly lost altitude and emergency landed in October. At least 15 people were injured in the incident.

The firm later identified a problem with the aircraft's computing software which calculates a plane's elevation, and found that at high altitudes, data could be corrupted by intense radiation released periodically by the Sun.

Friday evening's warning sent airlines around the world scrambling to ground the planes and make the computer changes in an attempt to avoid schedule disruption over the weekend.

Air France flights in and out of Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport were delayed or cancelled, while in the US, American Airlines said it expected "operational delays" but added that the vast majority of updates would be carried out by Saturday. Rival Delta Airlines said it believed the impact on its operations would be limited.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said airlines operating in the country worked through Friday night to carry out the update and air traffic had not been seriously affected.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com