Airbus planes: EasyJet and Wizz Air passengers issued disruption warning this Sunday | UK | News

Passengers are expected to face disruptions over the next few days as many UK airlines need to make software updates on some Airbus 320 aircraft, an aviation agency has said. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the main certification authority for the A320 family aircraft, issued the instruction as a “precautionary measure” on Friday night.

EASA said that although not all A320 aircraft require a software update, many British airlines have these aircraft in their fleets and they may be affected.

“This requirement will mean that airlines operating these aircraft will in some cases have to change the software in the coming days or remain grounded from Sunday until the software is replaced,” he said.

“This action likely means that there may be some disruptions and cancellations of flights.”

Wizz Air warned passengers flying with the airline that they may experience disruptions over the weekend due to the update.

“Wizz Air has confirmed that some of its aircraft are among more than 6,500 Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide requiring software updates, as recently identified by the aircraft manufacturer,” the airline said in a statement on Friday. he said.

“Wizz Air has already immediately planned the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the established mitigation measures.

“As a result, some flights may be affected over the weekend.

“Passengers who book directly with Wizz Air via the website or mobile application will be informed of any schedule changes.

“The safety of our customers, crew and aircraft is always our number one and most important priority.

“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by circumstances beyond our direct control.”

A spokesperson for the airline confirmed that passengers flying with British Airways will not face any significant disruption, with only three of its aircraft needing the upgrade.

Irish airline Aer Lingus also said it did not expect any major operational disruption.

The statement included the following: “Following a warning by Airbus, an instruction has been issued informing airlines that they are required to update instances of a specific software version installed on some aircraft in the global Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

“In the Aer Lingus case, a limited number of aircraft were affected and the airline is taking urgent steps to complete the necessary software installation.

“As a result, Aer Lingus expects that there will be no significant operational disruption.”

Jet2.com said it had “installed the software update on a very small number of aircraft” in its fleet, adding: “We can confirm that there will be no impact on our flight schedule as a result.”

Giancarlo Buono, Director of Aviation Safety at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “We have been made aware of an issue that may affect some aircraft in the A320 family of aircraft and the precautionary action taken by EASA.

“We appreciate the disruption this may cause to some people flying in the coming days.

“Passengers should check with their airline to see if their flight has been affected.

“Airlines have a responsibility to take care of passengers when a flight is delayed.”