Airbus software update: Air India says ‘no cancellations’; delays expected on some flights

NEW DELHI: Air India on Saturday said its flight operations remain intact with no cancellations due to the mandatory software and hardware realignment ordered for Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide.

“Air India can confirm that there have been no cancellations due to this task and there isn't any major impact on schedule integrity across our network. However, some of our flights may be slightly delayed or rescheduled. Our colleagues on ground are there to assist the passengers,” the airline said.




The carrier stressed that its engineering teams are moving quickly to complete the required work. “At Air India, safety is top priority. Following EASA and Airbus directives for a mandatory software and hardware realignment on A320 family aircraft worldwide, our engineers have been working round-the-clock to complete the task at the earliest.

The airline added that it has already completed the reset on over 40% of the impacted aircraft and is confident of completing the entire fleet within the timeline prescribed by EASA.



Air India had earlier acknowledged the operational impact on X, saying: “We are aware of a directive from Airbus related to its A320 family aircraft currently in-service across airline operators. This will result in a software/hardware realignment on a part of our fleet, leading to longer turnaround time and delays to our scheduled operations. Air India regrets any inconvenience this may cause to passengers till the reset is carried out across the fleet.”

Also read | A320 software issue: 338 aircraft of IndiGo & AI Group impacted; 56% get required update

The realignment comes as A320 family aircraft across the globe undergo a temporary grounding for an upgrade expected to take 2–3 days. In India, more than 350 aircraft operated by IndiGo and the Air India Group will be affected. Normal operations are expected to resume by Monday or Tuesday, while about 6,000 aircraft are impacted worldwide.

The directive follows an incident on October 30, 2025, when a JetBlue A320 flying from Cancun to Newark “unexpectedly pitch(ed) downward without pilot input.” The National Transportation Safety Board said the uncontrolled descent “likely occurred during an ELAC (flight control computer) switch change.” The aircraft diverted to Tampa, where some passengers were hospitalised.

Despite the scale of the global grounding, Air India says its network remains largely stable, with engineers working to ensure timely restoration of the entire fleet.

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