the precautionary principle paid off

Almost back to normal on Monday morning, after the alert of faulty software on certain Airbus aircraft, only around a hundred aircraft remained immobilized. The responsiveness of the European aircraft manufacturer was crucial for its image.

Around a hundred aircraft remained grounded on Monday December 1 across the entire fleet of A319s, A320s and A321s in service around the world. So very little compared to the 6,000 planes suddenly immobilized on Friday evening to control on-board software which had caused a flight damage, at the end of October, on an aircraft of the American company JetBlue, between Mexico and New York, in the United States. Note that the devices still grounded are mainly in South America. These are older aircraft which require a hardware change to the software in question and not a simple update.

According to a latest count, only around 1,200 devices were affected by the software failure – computer equipment visibly affected by solar radiation and likely to affect on-board controls. In most cases, the modifications consisted of reinstalling the previous version of the software in question. A simple update operation. At Air France, for example, all planes likely to be affected by the technical damage were treated during the night from Friday to Saturday.

Airbus reacted very quickly, insisting on the precautionary principle. Air traffic is a very sensitive subject in terms of security, even though statistics prove that this type of transport is the safest in the world. Faced with the slightest doubt, we must not hesitate to make rapid decisions to remove any suspicion, which Airbus managed very well in the space of 72 hours. We remember that the American Boeing began to question the reliability of its 737 Max after two crashes which left 346 dead in 2018 and 2019.

Responsiveness from Airbus, therefore, but can this affair leave traces on the commercial level? Not really, but caution is advised in this very competitive industrial sector with the match between Airbus and Boeing. The flight damage was detected on an air route in American skies and nowhere else in the world. Enough to fuel rumors of damage to the image of the European aircraft manufacturer which goes from success to success unlike the American Boeing which, for its part, accumulates technical setbacks, affecting the pride of Donald Trump and his “America First”. But Airbus refuses this type of rapprochement. Moreover, the group has never welcomed the misfortune of others, including its main competitor, considering that adversity could always change sides very quickly. We have just come close to this kind of situation. The European aircraft manufacturer reacted in time.