IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express flights face disruption over A320 software issue

Dubai: IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express are set to face operational disruption as they address a potential flight-control issue in their A320-family aircraft. Sources say around 200–250 planes in India will be impacted.

Airbus issued an alert on Friday, warning that intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to flight controls on many A320 jets, and that required software changes may lead to service disruptions.

Domestic carriers operate roughly 560 A320-family aircraft, including A319s, A320 ceos and neos, and A321 ceos and neos. Around 200–250 jets will need either software updates or hardware realignment, which may require temporary grounding.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) directed airlines to install serviceable Elevator Aileron Computers (ELAC) before affected aircraft can resume normal flights. ELAC is a key flight-control system, and modifications are mandatory to ensure safety.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an airworthiness directive banning the operation of multiple Airbus A320 family aircraft models following safety concerns linked to a company-issued software update.

"No person shall operate any aircraft that falls under the applicability of this mandatory modification except those complying with the requirements of the Mandatory Modification(s) / Airworthiness Directive(s)," said Assistant Director (Airworthiness) Nishikant Sharma in the official order.

Aircraft models affected
The directive applies to multiple Airbus models, including:

IndiGo said it is “working closely with Airbus to ensure implementation as per the notification” and is making every effort to minimise disruptions during inspections.

Air India Express confirmed precautionary measures are underway. While most of its aircraft are unaffected, 31 A320-family planes will undergo the updates, potentially causing delays or cancellations.

Air India has confirmed that there have been no flight cancellations following mandatory software and hardware realignments on its A320 family aircraft, as directed by EASA and Airbus. The airline said its engineers have been working round-the-clock and have already completed updates on over 40% of affected aircraft, with the full fleet expected to be updated within the prescribed timeline.

While there is no major impact on schedule integrity across the network, some flights may experience minor delays or rescheduling. Ground staff are available to assist passengers.

Earlier, Air India said some of its fleet will require software or hardware realignment, leading to longer turnarounds and schedule delays. The airline apologised for any inconvenience to passengers.

The alert follows an incident involving an A320 in October, where a plane experienced a sudden, limited pitch-down while the autopilot remained engaged. Preliminary analysis suggested a malfunction of the ELAC may have contributed. Airbus said intense solar radiation could corrupt flight-control data, prompting a global precautionary action.

EASA warned that if uncorrected, the issue could, in extreme cases, result in uncommanded elevator movement, potentially exceeding the aircraft’s structural limits.

Airbus’ directive affects 6,000 A320-family aircraft worldwide, covering more than 350 operators. Around 3,000 jets were airborne when the alert was issued. The fix involves reverting software to an earlier version and, in some cases, hardware replacement. Limited ferry flights to maintenance centres are permitted.

Airlines globally are assessing operational impacts, with delays expected across multiple regions.