Airline passengers travelling from Northern Ireland airports should prepare for potential flight disruptions due to immediate modifications requested by the European aerospace company Airbus. Approximately 6,000 aircraft worldwide, specifically within the A320 family, may be affected by these changes.
EasyJet, which operates flights to and from Belfast International and Belfast City airports, indicated that it anticipates some disruptions. The airline stated it will “inform customers directly about any changes to our flying programme tomorrow and will do all possible to minimise the impact.” While operations at Belfast International Airport remained unaffected as of Friday night, an airport spokesperson advised passengers scheduled to travel on Saturday to check with their airline for the latest flight information.
In a related development, Aer Lingus reported that a limited number of its aircraft are impacted. The airline is taking immediate action to complete the necessary software installations, stating that there will be no significant operational disruption. At Gatwick Airport, around 80 aircraft are believed to be affected. A spokesperson for Gatwick noted, “We are aware of a directive requiring some airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft to update software on their fleet over the coming days, which may result in some disruption.”
Conversely, Heathrow Airport confirmed that the required maintenance for certain Airbus aircraft currently has no impact on its operations. The majority of the planes can be repaired through a straightforward software update, according to Airbus. However, approximately 900 older planes will require replacement computers and must be grounded until repairs are completed.
A directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) specifies that, starting November 29, 2023, the affected aircraft can only operate with passengers once they have been repaired. Nonetheless, they may conduct “ferry flights” without passengers to reach maintenance facilities.
As more airlines respond to these urgent modifications, passengers are encouraged to remain vigilant and check their flight statuses regularly. The situation continues to evolve, and airlines are working to mitigate the impact on their operations.
