Airbus A320 software issue: Civil Aviation Authority chief on hectic weekend
It was a hectic weekend, with dozens of flights cancelled and thousands of passengers affected.
But behind the scenes, engineers at the country’s airlines were able to resolve the Airbus A320 software issues in less than 48 hours.
Kane Patena, director of Civil Aviation and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) chief executive, said the agency had to do three main things over the weekend.
“The first was to work with Air New Zealand and Jetstar to look at whether aircraft needed to be re-certified with the software upgrade.
“We were able to work very closely with the airlines on that, as well as our Australian regulatory counterparts.”
The second part was to work with the Aviation Security Service to make sure passengers could get through security as quickly as possible.
And Patena said the third part was ensuring consistent information was shared between airlines and relevant public agencies.
“All of the airport and airline businesses, all of the broader security agencies, need to be on the same page with how we collectively respond.”
Patena said Air New Zealand and Jetstar did a good job.
The software issue emerged after analysis into an October 30 JetBlue flight from Mexico to the US.
On Friday, Airbus said intense solar radiation might corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) then issued an emergency airworthiness directive for the Airbus A320 family.
The directive addressed susceptibility with a software update in an on-board computer.
The A320 family is the world’s best-selling group of jetliners, with operators in every continent.
Patena said the worldwide disruption was significant.
“The aviation system is actually working as it intended. There’s a very high bar when it comes to safety with aviation globally, including with the A320s.”
The airworthiness directive was the result of a precautionary approach, he said.
That was about ensuring public confidence that airlines nationwide, and regulators worldwide, acted as quickly as possible to ensure airlines stay as safe as possible.
Cath O’Brien, Board of Airline Representatives (Barnz) executive director, today said airlines had generally been complimentary about customer responses.
“This is a very rare situation but also highlights that airlines will always be responsive to safety requirements,” O’Brien said.
She acknowledged there was disruption to customers but added: “The public really understood this was a safety issue.”
All Jetstar and Air New Zealand A320 aircraft in operation have now received the required software update.
“We do not expect any ongoing impact from the weekend’s disruption and services are now operating as normal,” Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said yesterday afternoon.
Jetstar had no cancellations yesterday and its engineers were largely able to resolve the issues on Saturday.
“Airlines got their planes grounded, got them under engineering care and then returned them gradually to service,” O’Brien said.
Refunds
Consumer New Zealand said the Airbus software issue was likely to be regarded as an event outside any airline’s control.
That meant affected passengers wouldn’t automatically be entitled to a refund of their airfares under New Zealand law.
But the consumer group added: “It’s good to hear the airlines are being flexible and allowing affected passengers to request a refund.”
It said refunds for pre-booked parking at airports would depend on the terms and conditions of the carpark.
Consumer NZ suggested getting in touch with parking providers to see whether they were willing to offer refunds.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and court. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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