Passengers face flight delays whereas Airbus A320s bear security checks as Gatwick, Wizzair and Easyjet problem updates

Passengers have been warned to expect flight delays this weekend after several UK airlines were forced to undergo safety checks in some Airbus A320 aircraft.

Gatwick, Wizzair and Easyjet have all issued updates after the aeronautics company announced it had discovered a potential vulnerability in its onboard software.

It comes after at least 15 JetBlue passengers were injured last month when an A320 aircraft suddenly dropped in altitude, forcing an emergency landing in Florida. 

The plane had experienced a ‘flight control issue’ which could be linked to its software system. 

Although not all A320 planes will require a software update, several UK airlines have these aircraft in their fleet and could be impacted.

Wizz Air warned passengers flying with the airline they may face disruption over the weekend as a result of the checks.

‘Wizz Air confirms that some of its aircraft are among the more than 6,500 Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide that require a software update, as recently identified by the aircraft manufacturer,’ the airline said in a statement on Friday.

‘Wizz Air has already immediately scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the identified mitigation.

‘As a result, some flights over the weekend may be affected.

‘Passengers who booked directly with Wizz Air via the website or mobile app will be notified of any schedule changes.

‘The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft is always our number one and overriding priority.

‘We apologise for any inconvenience caused by circumstances outside of our direct control.’

EasyJet indicated in a statement there may be changes to their flying schedule as a result of the update, in which case passengers will be informed.

‘We want to reassure our customers that safety is always our highest priority and our fleet operates in strict compliance with the manufacturer’s guidelines,’ the statement said.

‘A software change is underway on our A320 family and if there are any changes to our flying schedule we will inform you of your options by email, SMS and on Flight Tracker.’

Gatwick Airport also warned passengers may face some disruption over the coming days.

A London Gatwick spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of a directive requiring some airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft to update software on their fleet over coming days, which may result in some disruption.

‘This is only impacting a small number of airlines at London Gatwick.

‘Passengers should contact their airline for more information.’

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on Friday night the impact on UK airlines should remain ‘limited’.

‘I am aware of the technical issue impacting certain aircraft and concerns over how this will affect passengers and flights this evening,’ she said.

‘Passengers who are due to fly this weekend should check with their carriers for the latest information.

‘The good news is it seems the impact on UK airlines seems limited, with a smaller number of aircraft requiring more complex software and hardware changes.

‘I would really like to thank the experts, staff and airlines who are working at pace to address this and reassure passengers that work is ongoing.

‘It is heartening this issue has been identified and will be addressed so swiftly demonstrating the high aviation safety standards globally.’

Passengers flying with British Airways have been told they should not face any significant disruption as only three of their aircraft require the update. 

A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport added it is not expecting any disruption to its flight schedule at this stage.

Luton Airport is also expected to run its flying schedule as normal, according to a spokesperson who said there is ‘no expected impact to the operation at this stage’.

Irish airline Aer Lingus also said it is not expecting major operational disruption.

It said in a statement: ‘Following an alert raised by Airbus, a directive has been issued to airlines advising them of a requirement to update instances of a particular version of software installed on some of the global Airbus A320 family of aircraft.

‘In Aer Lingus’ case, a limited number of aircraft are impacted, and the airline is taking immediate steps to complete the required software installation.

‘As a result, Aer Lingus expects that there will be no significant operational disruption.’

Jet2.com said it was ‘installing software updates on a very small number of aircraft’ in its fleet, adding: ‘We can confirm there will be no impact to our flying programme as a result.’