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Both Air India and IndiGo issued advisories on Friday warning travellers of possible delays as aircraft undergo the mandatory fix.
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Flight operations around the world have been hit after Airbus ordered a major software fix for its A320 family of aircraft. The directive has led to cancellations, delays and schedule changes across several airlines, including those in India. The country’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has now shared a detailed update on the situation.
According to the DGCA, India has 338 aircraft from the A320 family currently in service. These include the A320ceo, A320neo, A321ceo and A321neo models flown by major carriers such as IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express. The regulator said that 55% of these aircraft have already received the required flight-control software upgrade.
The DGCA earlier issued a mandatory instruction to all Indian airlines after receiving an Airbus alert and an emergency directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
“Based on the Airbus AOT and EASA Emergency AD, DGCA has issued a Mandatory Modification on November 29 prescribing the mandatory actions required for the continued safe operation of the aircraft,” the regulator said.
How Many Flights In India Were Affected?
A large portion of the fleets of IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express have been impacted. As reported by Hindustan Times, the directive affected:
200 IndiGo aircraft
113 Air India aircraft
25 Air India Express aircraft
Of these, according to PTI, 113 IndiGo planes, 42 Air India aircraft and four Air India Express aircraft have already completed the update. The rest continue to undergo the process.
The upgrades are being carried out at major airline bases in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.
What Airlines Told Passengers?
Both Air India and IndiGo issued advisories on Friday warning travellers of possible delays as aircraft undergo the mandatory fix. Air India said the corrective action would require a “software/hardware realignment” for part of its fleet. IndiGo informed passengers that it was “proactively completing” the upgrade to minimise disruptions.
Several passengers reported long waits and sudden changes in boarding times as airlines reshuffled fleets to keep services running.
Why The Fix Was Ordered?
The global directive came after an incident on 30 October, when a JetBlue A320 flying from Cancun to Newark suddenly pitched downward without pilot input, injuring passengers. Airbus later said a preliminary check pointed to a problem in the aircraft’s Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC), the system that helps control the plane’s movement.
The incident prompted EASA to issue an emergency order, followed by Airbus’s instruction for a fleetwide software update.
As airlines continue the fixes, regulators and carriers say safety remains the top priority, even if it means delays for passengers in the short term.
Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can follow her…Read More
Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can follow her… Read More
November 29, 2025, 1:32 PM IST
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