It’s no news that Airbus is undergoing a massive urgent repair of over 6,000 units of its popular A320 jet model. The company on November 29th recalled its A320, a move that has affected the global flight fleet.
This is believed to also cause flight disruption, especially in the coming Christmas season. Although the disruption would be worldwide, Europe and the United States are most likely to be the most affected.
This move is the first-ever biggest recall by Airbus in their 55 years of its operations. This has raised a few major questions about the general implications of this event, especially as it affects flight cancellations and compensation.
This piece will look at the cause of the urgent software update, how airlines are responding to this move, how this can affect air travelers, the position of EU126 in the whole arrangement, and how airlines should position themselves according to the EU126 guideline.
The request by Airbus S.E. for companies to recall over six thousand A320 fleets globally was conceived out of the need for a software update. This update is needed to avoid the possibility of flight control data corruption in the future. The perceived data corruption is caused by high solar radiation and has suspended a reasonable number of Airbus commercial flights.
The Airbus directive is important to fix the vulnerability in the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC) system. This controls the aircraft’s pitch and roll, and if left unattended, will trigger uncommand pitch-down events in the plane, as seen in an October 30th JetBlue flight incident.
Some planes are already completing their update. One of them is the Colombian airline’s Avianca, which announced on the 1st of December that the software update process had been done on 90% of the affected aircraft models. And the process of applying it to the rest of the affected planes is on the way.
And how long it takes to get the update completed depends on the context. Ordinarily, the update is expected to take up 1-2 weeks, depending on factors like the availability of technical teams and the maintenance schedule. However, most of the updates are also expected to be completed before the year runs out.
When Airbus circulated its bulletin to its over 350 operators globally, over three thousand A320 fleets were on duty. Flights from the United States to India, Europe, New Zealand, and South America have officially warned their passengers of the possible delay or outright cancellation.
The American Airlines, the biggest A320 operator, has admitted that 340 of its 480 A320 aircraft need the new software update. Other airlines responding to the call by Airbus include Germany’s Lufthansa, India’s IndiGo, and UK-based EasyJet are responding positively to the call by Airbus as well.
The recall affected over 70% Colombian Avianca’s total fleet, a situation that led to the airline’s A320 flight cancellations, leading to the suspension of ticket sales for all travellers who had their flight scheduled for December 8. The response rate may be gradual, but the Airline companies are turning up.
There are currently 11,300 units of A320 in airplane in operation, out of which 1987 have flown in for the update. According to records, the top 10 biggest consumers of the A320 craft are JetBlue, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, including a few Indian, Chinese, and European carriers. And they are all responding well to the call.
EasyJet, responding to a call from Airbus, said it has already completed the said update on many of its aircraft. It is working closely with the authorities to facilitate the smooth completion of the process, while assuring its passengers of normal flight operations during the weekend.
Airlines are working closely with its country’s local aviation safety authorities to ensure they comply with Airbus directive, and reduce the impact it will have on passengers. The UK Civil Aviation Authority, for example, now ensure that airlines work overnight to facilitate the smooth and fast execution of this process.
As it stands, aviation passengers have been warned to expect disruption over the weekend. And current update on the situation says passengers are experiencing changes in flight schedules, rebooking, and cancellations. Airlines, on the other hand, were seen offering their passengers viable options like travel funds, rebooking, or an outright refund.
While Airbus management is insisting that the current software is for the safety of the passengers, Simon Calder, a Travel expert, says that although the situation looks “very concerning,” the aviation sector remains the safest means of transportation.
It’s also important to stress that airline passengers might not be entitled to compensation should there be any event of delay as a result of this. The issue will be tagged as one of those situations beyond the control of the airline.
As a safety net for airline passengers, EU261/UK261 Regulation is meant to compensate passengers on the event of cancellations, long delays, and/or missed connecting flight. Unfortunately, the EU261/UK261 does not cover for the ongoing software update, the reason being that it falls under the cause of the delay is beyond the airline’s control.
Please note that extraordinary circumstances like air traffic issues, disruption due to terror attacks, bad weather, etc., are not eligible for compensation. It can only be if it’s within the airline’s control. The case of Airbus' ongoing exercise is exempted from possible compensation because it’s considered an extraordinary circumstance.
In the absence of a qualified right to reimbursement, airlines are required to fulfill some obligation to their passengers. These responsibilities, according to EU261/UK261, are:
Passengers affected by either cancellation or delay are entitled to accommodation if the delay has caused them to stay overnight.
The Airline is responsible for paying the passenger’s transport to and from the hotel, should a cancellation or a delay happen.
Airlines owe its passengers a duty to rebook them on the next available flight, should there be any form of cancellation or unresolved delays.
Airlines are required by the EU261/UK261 rules to provide meals and light refreshments to affected passengers during long delays, while they wait to be rebooked.
Airlines are also obliged to provide passengers with means of communication should the need arise. It doesn’t matter the type: phone calls or emails.
In a case where the passenger had chosen to cancel his trip due to the delay, the EU261/UK261 compels the airlines to make a full refund, as stipulated in the right to reimbursement section.
It’s okay to stick to flight disruption tips when cases like this occur, but it’s necessary to be specific with your information, hence the need to look out for A320 update travel advice. The situation may seem a bit unorganized at airports worldwide, especially in Europe and the United States, but Airbus isn’t relenting in its efforts to finalize the ongoing software update as soon as possible. However, more airlines from over 1,000 crafts yet to respond are currently turning up, even as airports globally continue to experience long queues, unplanned delays, and flight cancellations.