A320 Airbus planes to be resolved by Sunday according to Jetstar, further cancellations not ruled out

Jetstar expects engineers will resolve a software issue which grounded flights across Australia by Sunday after Airbus ordered urgent works on its Airbus A320 fleet globally. At least two Jetstar flights due to leave Perth Airport on Saturday morning were cancelled as a result of the software issue, impacting passengers bound for Singapore and Sydney. The associated flights back to Perth were also impacted. Airbus, in a statement, said the analysis of a recent event where a plane en route to New Jersey experienced a drop in altitude revealed that “intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.” “Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted,” the statement said. “Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.” A Jetstar spokeswoman said 34 of their 86 Airbus A320 fleet across Australia were grounded due to the issue. On Saturday afternoon, as of 3.30pm AEDT, 20 of those impacted planes were fully operational. “We’re expecting the remaining (planes) to be ready overnight, allowing flights to resume as planned on Sunday, November 30,” she said. “However, there may be some flow on delays or cancellations on Sunday as the network fully recovers. “We will contact customers by SMS and email if there are any further disruptions.” “Safety is our number one priority, and we sincerely thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we worked through this issue.” About 90 flights Jetstar flight were cancelled on Saturday and other services were delayed. The disruptions impacted domestic airports around Australia, with the majority of the impact felt by travellers on the east coast. Several passengers expressed frustration due to the travel disruptions, including Bala Easiah who had travelled from Bunbury to Perth Airport with his family. “This morning we were supposed to leave at 7.30am . . . we have been here from 4am,” he told The West. “We all came from the South West, I’m from Bunbury and there is six of us.” Mr Easiah said the next flight he was able to get his family on was at 8.30pm on Saturday. “We are all going on holiday, everything’s booked over there — we are going no matter what,” he said. Jetstar’s chief pilot Tyrone Simes reportedly told a press conference that a software update needed to be reversed in order to resolve the issue. Engineers were required to board planes in order to complete the works and assess flight worthiness. It is not believed any Qantas flights in Perth were impacted.