The Federal Aviation Administration issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive late Friday evening requiring U.S. operators of Airbus A319, A320, and A321 aircraft to immediately replace certain elevator aileron computers after an uncommanded pitch-down event involving an A320.
The directive, which takes effect upon receipt, mirrors an earlier emergency action issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
The FAA said roughly 545 U.S.-registered aircraft are impacted.
According to the directive, the malfunction could lead to an uncommanded elevator movement and potentially exceed the aircraft’s structural limits. Operators must replace the affected ELAC units before further flight, with limited ferry operations without passengers permitted to move aircraft to maintenance locations.
American
American Airlines operates one of the world’s largest A320-family fleets, with approximately 480 aircraft. The airline said about 340 aircraft required the associated software update and began the work immediately after receiving Airbus’s notification.
By early Saturday morning, only four of 209 aircraft scheduled overnight remained to be updated. American said it expects no further operational impact as the holiday travel period continues.
The airline noted that it found no indication of similar events within its fleet. “It’s all hands on deck across our airline to address this Airbus software issue and take care of any customers whose flights are affected,” the company said.
JetBlue
JetBlue, whose narrowbody fleet is composed primarily of A320 and A321 aircraft, said work is already underway on its affected jets. The airline is coordinating with Airbus, the FAA, and its maintenance partners as updates proceed.
“Our teams are doing everything possible to minimize disruptions,” JetBlue said in a memo to employees viewed by AirlineGeeks. The carrier noted it may need to issue some cancellations as aircraft are temporarily removed from service.
JetBlue also confirmed that the software issue was linked to the Oct. 30 altitude-loss event involving Flight 1230 from Cancun to Newark, New Jersey, and said it cooperated with investigators to identify the root cause.
Delta
Delta operates a mix of A319, A320, and A321 aircraft, including a growing number of A321neos. The airline previously said fewer than 50 A321neo aircraft were affected by the directive.
Delta now says that all required work has been completed. “As safety comes before everything else, Delta has fully complied with the directive. Teams completed the required work with no affect on operations,” a spokesperson said.
Allegiant
Allegiant operates a majority Airbus fleet of A319s and A320s. The ultra-low-cost carrier said only a small number of its aircraft require updates and that a mitigation plan is already in motion.
“We anticipate minimal to no impact on our operations or customers’ travel plans,” Allegiant said. The airline said it will proactively notify any passengers whose flights are affected.
United
United said six aircraft in its Airbus fleet are affected by the directive. The airline expects “minor disruption to a few flights” as the work is completed.
Frontier
Frontier, which operates one of the largest A320-family fleets in North America, said it has received Airbus’s notice and is determining how many of its aircraft will require updates.
“We are currently evaluating it,” a spokesperson told AirlineGeeks.
On Friday, Airbus directed operators to install serviceable ELAC units and remove affected components from service across the global A320-family fleet.
