Indian airlines have swiftly completed software upgrades on their Airbus A320 family aircraft in just over a day, following concerns about potential flight control issues arising from intense solar radiation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed on Sunday, November 30, 2025, that the necessary software modifications had been implemented on 323 operational A320 planes.
The rapid response followed an alert from Airbus regarding a potential glitch in the flight-control systems. The manufacturer warned that strong solar radiation could, in rare cases, corrupt data processed by components linked to flight controls on a significant number of A320-series planes. This prompted Airbus to issue an alert to operators worldwide, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to release an Emergency Airworthiness Directive.
Initially, 338 aircraft operated by IndiGo, Air India, and Air India Express were identified for the software upgrades. Out of these, 323 were operational, and six were undergoing scheduled base maintenance. However, after further assessment, it was determined that nine aircraft in the Air India fleet did not require the update.
IndiGo completed the upgrades on all 200 of its operational A320 family planes. Air India completed the upgrades on 100 operational planes out of 113 affected aircraft, with four undergoing base maintenance and nine not requiring the fix. Air India Express completed updates on 23 of 25 A320 family planes, with two under maintenance for redelivery.
The software fix involved reverting flight-control computers to a safer 2022 version. This "downgrade" of the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC) software addresses a potential issue where a later software upgrade could trigger a sudden loss of control during intense solar storms. This issue was linked to an incident involving a US carrier's A320, which experienced an abrupt descent on October 30, resulting in injuries to 15 passengers.
While Airbus acknowledged that the software patch might cause short-term operational disruptions across global fleets, Indian carriers managed to avoid major disruptions. There were only single-digit cancellations and delays of up to 90 minutes. This was largely attributed to IndiGo's young A320 fleet and the Air India Group's limited number of older airframes. Older aircraft require hardware modifications alongside the software rollback, increasing the task time.
Airlines took swift action to implement the software fix, with engineers working around the clock to complete the task. The DGCA issued an Airworthiness Directive to airlines, mandating that Indian operators immediately carry out the required software upgrades. This was to ensure that no aircraft operated without the modification after the stipulated time.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury apologized for the turmoil caused by the necessary fix, emphasizing that safety was the top priority. He added that Airbus teams were working "around the clock" to assist airlines in getting their aircraft back in service.
