India: Flight operations of IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express are set to face significant disruptions in the coming days as the airlines begin corrective action on a potential flight-control issue detected in Airbus A320 family aircraft. The problem, flagged by Airbus and global regulators, is likely to impact 200 to 250 aircraft across India.
According to the advisory, intense solar radiation may corrupt data processed by certain flight control computers (ELAC units) installed in A320-family jets. This issue came under scrutiny after a recent mid-air incident involving another global operator, prompting international safety authorities to mandate immediate software or hardware checks.
India operates around 560 A320-series aircraft, and a large portion of them now require urgent inspection, software rollback, or replacement of affected components. IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express—three of the largest operators of this aircraft type—have already begun withdrawing affected aircraft from service in phases.
As a result, passengers can expect flight delays, rescheduling and possible cancellations over the next several days. Airlines have stated that turnaround times will increase and certain routes could see temporary capacity shortages until all aircraft are cleared to fly.
In public advisories, the carriers have urged passengers to check the latest flight status on their official websites or mobile apps before heading to the airport.
Globally, the same issue has impacted thousands of A320 aircraft, making it one of the most extensive technical recalls in the history of the Airbus narrow-body fleet.
