Statement by the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, on the urgent software upgrade of Airbus aircraft
Following the emergency directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for part of the Airbus A320 fleet, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas made the following statement:
“On Friday night, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Directive for a software upgrade for part of the Airbus A320 fleet.
I want to be clear: safety in European aviation is, and will always remain, our highest priority. When an issue is identified, it is analyzed, addressed and resolved immediately, in order to maintain the highest level of protection for passengers and crews.
Safety requires constant vigilance and continuous improvement, and this is exactly what we are doing. EASA’s directive ensured that the issue in the affected aircraft was addressed swiftly and appropriately.
This is one of the largest software upgrade actions ever carried out, and the European aviation community mobilized rapidly to implement it.
The aircraft software upgrades are underway and nearing completion.
The close cooperation between EASA and the EU’s national civil aviation authorities has been decisive in this process, enabling a quick and coordinated response.
So far, the software updates have not resulted in any notable impact on network operations, and no related issues have been reported at major airports.
I want to thank EASA, the EU national civil aviation authorities, EUROCONTROL, the airlines and Airbus for their rapid response, as well as passengers for their patience.
Although some disruption was unavoidable, these measures demonstrate Europe’s commitment to keeping its aviation globally safe for all passengers.”
