NEWS: Over 160 Flight Delays From the Orlando International Airport Due to Airplane Software Issue

Flying is one of those things that we both love and hate. We love it because it usually means we’re going somewhere exciting, like Disney World. We hate it because the whole airport and flying process itself can be a hassle, especially if you’re faced with delays.

Well, if you’re flying this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, we wanted to give you a heads-up of an unexpected issue that could delay your flight.

According to USA Today, Airline safety regulators have identified an issue with flight control software on Airbus A320 planes and have issued an urgent directive for those plans to receive a software update. Until airlines get that software update, those affected planes are grounded.

Airbus is manufactured in Europe, so the initial order was given by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) followed up by issuing its own immediate emergency order requiring 545 Airbus aircraft to update or replace the software before they can fly again with a hard deadline of November 30th.

So what exactly is the issue? A recent solar radiation burst negatively affected the computer data on one Airbus A320 plane. Solar radiation can cause a temporary corruption of data in the plane’s flight control computer, which is what helps pilots steer and keep the plane steady.

As a result of the flaw, one plane “experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch down event.” The autopilot was in control at the time the aircraft experienced a brief and small loss of altitude.

With airlines having to scramble to fix the issue before their next flight, some planes could end up grounded throughout the weekend, resulting in flight delays. Airbus warned that a “significant” number of its planes will be affected, and that some disruptions with the airlines are highly likely.

This could be causing significant delays at Orlando International Airport where 169 flights are currently experiencing delays, according to FlightAware.

We’ll keep an eye on the situation and get you updates, so check back with AllEars again soon for more.