SAA said it was able to install software updates on two if its Airbus A320 fleet over the weekend.
Gallo Images/ Jacques Stander
SA’s flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), says it has completed the software updates needed, after two of its 14 A320 planes were affected by an Airbus recall.
On Friday, the French aeroplane manufacturer recalled thousands of its popular A320 aircraft for a software update, after it was found that intense solar radiation could corrupt critical flight controls of the aircraft.
The announcement led to widespread flight cancellations overseas, as reported by Bloomberg. According to the publication, the advisory had been sent a few months after an investigation into a JetBlue flight from Cancun in Mexico to Newark in the US where the plane had suffered a temporary glitch, causing a downward pitch without pilot input.
READ | Global flights in chaos as top-selling Airbus jet hit by recall
The investigation found that the aeroplane’s computer had malfunctioned during the flight on 30 October.
SAA previously said that the update had to be installed with two of its 14 A320 planes. A spokesperson for the airline confirmed on Monday that the software updates were completed, with no impact on the airline’s schedule.
Domestic airline Lift’s entire fleet consists of Airbus A320 planes.
“All our aircraft and their paperwork have gone through checks in line with the directive and are all compliant and continue to operate,” the group said in a statement on Monday morning.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Airbus said that 6 000 aircraft needed to be updated, with a majority of the fleet updated by Monday.
“We are working with our airline customers to support the modification of less than 100 remaining aircraft to ensure they can be returned to service. Airbus apologises for any challenges and delays caused to passengers and airlines by this event.”
