HÀ NỘI — The Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV) has asked domestic carriers to immediately prepare spare parts, equipment, software and manpower to carry out the required fixes following Airbus’s recent call for immediate software update to 6,000 A320/A321-family aircraft worldwide.

The European aircraft manufacturer issued an urgent Alert Operations Transmission (AOT) late on November 28, warning of a potential software malfunction affecting flight control.

Airbus said in a statement it found the issue after an analysis of an incident involving an A320 plane found that "intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls."

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), subsequently issued Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) 2025-0268-E, requiring airlines operating Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aircraft to replace affected equipment or update software in the ELAC flight-control computer, which is responsible for controlling pitch and roll.

It is reported at the meeting last night between the CAAV and domestic carriers that 81 out of 169 A320 and A321 aircraft in their fleets could be affected, which could cause disruptions to some flights in coming days to carry out fixing.

CAAV Director Uông Việt Dũng described the situation as force majeure, urging priority to ensure absolute safety. He urged domestic carriers to complete the required fixes as soon as possible.

Dũng also asked airlines to review their flight schedules, especially on November 30 and December 31, to make appropriate adjustments and minimise cancellations as well as promptly inform passengers of any changes and provide support to affected passengers, including free rebooking or refunds.

Vietnam Airlines said on Saturday it had received instructions from aircraft manufacturer Airbus and the CAAV to update software on its Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft.

To ensure safe operations, the airline said its entire A320/A321 fleet must complete the software update package provided by Airbus by 6:59 a.m. on November 30 local time.

The carrier has swiftly implemented fixings at its technical facilities in Nội Bài, Đà Nẵng and Tân Sơn Nhất, adding that it has all necessary tools, manuals and software supplied by Airbus. The update process is expected to take an average of about one hour per aircraft, according to the airline.

Vietnam Airlines confirmed it would complete the updates before the deadline and fully comply with all safety requirements set by CAAV and Airbus. — VNS