Glitch forces Airbus recall

78 flights in PH canceled; thousands of passengers affected

- By DEXTER BARRO II

The country's leading carriers are working round-the-clock to complete the industry-wide mandated software update on Airbus narrow-body jets by Sunday noon, aiming to prevent further flight cancellations that have affected thousands of passengers.

Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said local airlines only received the urgent airworthiness directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which oversees European jetmaker Airbus, at 1 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29.

EASA placed the global air travel industry on high alert after it required airlines to address a flaw in the flight control system of A320 jets, following an incident last month that left several passengers hurt after a sudden drop in altitude.

Lopez said this directive, which affected all airlines operating the A320 series of planes, forced Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines to temporarily hold off operations of their A320 and A321 aircraft.

This has led to 78 flight cancellations and even more delays, affecting over 14,000 passengers and counting.

Lopez said proactive measures taken by airlines kept the overall impact on the aviation industry less substantial, noting that talks of such a directive began as early as Friday night.