Most grounded A320s return to service as Airbus completes urgent software fixes

Airlines worldwide have moved quickly to comply with an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), after Airbus identified a vulnerability affecting certain A320 Family flight-control computers.

The EAD, issued on November 28, 2025 and effective November 29, 2025 at 23:59 UTC, requires operators of affected aircraft to replace or modify each impacted Elevator Aileron Computer, known as ELAC B L104, with a serviceable ELAC B L103+ before further passenger operations. Limited ferry flights of up to three cycles, without passengers, are permitted only to reposition aircraft for maintenance.

What the fix actually involves

Airbus’ Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) states the issue is limited to ELAC B hardware fitted with software standard L104, which the manufacturer says may be vulnerable to data corruption in exposure to solar flares.

Depending on aircraft configuration, the AOT allows either uploading the L103+ software standard or physically replacing the ELAC units with serviceable equipment, a split that helps explain why most aircraft can return to service quickly, while a smaller subset may require more time and spares availability.

Operators report limited disruption as updates roll out

On November 29, 2025, French transport minister Philippe Tabarot said Airbus had corrected the issue on “more than 5,000 aircraft” between November 28 and the early hours of November 29. This represents most of the roughly 6,000 A320 Family jets initially flagged as requiring immediate software modification or replacement.

Multiple major operators said the required change was largely executed over a short time window, with some airlines expecting only minor delays rather than widespread cancellations. Lufthansa Group, for example, said it did not expect cancellations due to the precautionary action, while other carriers issued similar operational updates.

Elsewhere, airlines with large A320 Family exposure warned of a longer tail of disruption. Avianca said it would face significant operational disruptions over the next 10 days and temporarily closed ticket sales for travel dates through December 8 to facilitate reaccommodation.

In India, local reporting citing DGCA updates suggested the software upgrades were being executed at scale across domestic A320 Family fleets, with operators working to complete compliance within the mandated timeframe.

Some operators, however, continue to face challenges. Colombia’s Avianca said more than 70 percent of its fleet was affected and warned of ongoing disruption over the next ten days. The airline suspended ticket sales until December 8, 2025.The post Most grounded A320s return to service as Airbus completes urgent software fixes appeared first on AeroTime.

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