Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet complete software updates for Airbus fleets
(VOVWORLD) - Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet confirmed that they have completed software updates for their Airbus A320 and A321 fleets, meeting Airbus and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV)’s requirements well ahead of the global deadline at 6:59 on Sunday (Vietnam time).
 (Photo: NIA) |
Representatives of both carriers reaffirmed that passenger safety remains their top priority and flight operations continue to run safely, reliably and without disruption.
The urgent action stemmed from an Airbus Alert Operations Transmission (AOT) issued on Friday, accompanied by the EU Aviation Safety Agency’s Emergency Airworthiness Directive requiring all operators of A319/A320/A321 aircraft worldwide to update or replace ELAC flight-control software governing altitude and directional control before the first flight after 11:59 p.m. UTC on Saturday (6:59 on Sunday, Vietnam time).
Friday's alert followed an unintended loss of altitude on an October 30 JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, which injured 10 passengers, according to France's BEA accident agency, which is probing the incident.
There were also unresolved questions about the impact of solar flare radiation blamed for the JetBlue incident, which is being treated by French investigators as an "incident," the lowest of three categories of potential safety emergency.