Airbus shares fell sharply on Monday after the planemaker had to resolve a major software bug that affected almost half of the entire A320 family of aircraft in operation over the weekend. The company noted that most of the nearly 6,000 aircraft affected by the problem have already received a solution.
Key data
Airbus stated that, of the almost 6,000 aircraft affected by the failure, “the vast majority have already received the necessary modifications.”
The manufacturer added that it was working with airlines to implement the necessary modifications to the “fewer than 100 remaining aircraft” still suffering from the problem.
Airbus apologized for the delays “caused to passengers and airlines” due to the issue, but stated it wanted to prioritize “safety above all other considerations.”
The manufacturer announced the recall on Friday, saying an analysis had found that “intense solar radiation” can “corrupt data critical to the operation of flight controls” on A320 planes.
Citing analysts, the Wall Street Journal reported that 85% of affected aircraft could be repaired with a simple software update, while 900 older aircraft would require hardware repairs.
How were Airbus shares affected?
Airbus shares fell to 185.26 euros ($215.45) on Monday afternoon in Paris, down 9.19% from Friday’s close.
You may be interested: Airbus confirms a new quality problem in a limited number of A320 aircraft
What to take into account
This Monday, Reuters reported that the company also detected a major quality problem affecting “dozens” of A320 family aircraft. The report notes that the alleged production failure is affecting the fuselage panels of some aircraft in production and is likely to delay deliveries.
He also adds that it is not clear if any aircraft affected by this quality problem were delivered to the airlines. Airbus has not yet commented publicly on the matter.
Surprising fact
The A320 family is made up of single-aisle aircraft that serve as the workhorse of Airbus fleets around the world. In October, the A320 surpassed the Boeing 737 family to become the most delivered airliner in history, with 12,260 units delivered.
Key context
American Airlines operates the largest fleet of A320 family aircraft in the world and is also used by other key US airlines including JetBlue, Delta and United Airlines. The software flaw was discovered following an investigation into an incident that occurred in October with an A320 operated by JetBlue, en route from Cancun, Mexico to Newark, New Jersey.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Florida after a flight control problem caused a sudden drop in altitude.
The investigation found a vulnerability in a critical flight computer system that controls elevators and ailerons (control surfaces that help the plane climb and change direction), called ELAC, whose data could be altered by an intense solar flare.
This article was originally published in Forbes US
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