Local airlines allay fears over Airbus A320 recall

Acting Chief Executive Officer of Ibom Air, George Uriesi. Photo: BusinessDay

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Despite rising concerns over Airbus’s directive to recall about 6,000 A320 aircraft globally for repair due to noticeable software lapses, Nigerian airline operators have assured the travelling public that their fleets remain safe and fully operational ahead of the busy yuletide season.

This was made known during separate telephone discussions with Nigerian operators.

In Nigeria, only United Nigeria Airlines and Air Peace operate A320 aircraft, while Ibom Air, which previously wet-leased A320-200s, has since phased them out and now flies newer A220 jets.

Airbus has also clarified that the recommended software update does not apply to all A320 units.

Fielding questions from reporters, the Acting CEO of Ibom Air, George Uriesi, confirmed that the airline has no A320 aircraft in its fleet.

“We have A220s. I don’t think the A220 is affected, though we expect formal confirmation. We will verify on Monday,” he said.

Similarly, UNA’s spokesperson, Chibuike Uloka, dismissed fears of possible flight disruptions, insisting the airline’s Airbus aircraft are “100 per cent safe and not included in the recall.

“There is no potential disruption of operations, as we are in good shape,” he added.

Air Peace had not responded to enquiries at the time of filing this report.

Globally, the software bulletin from Airbus affects more than half of all A320 aircraft in service, a report by Reuters has stated.

Findings by The PUNCH showed that at least 15 airlines, including American Airlines, China Eastern, Delta, EasyJet and Lufthansa, operate the largest A320 fleets and may be required to carry out the update.

At the time Airbus issued its bulletin to the plane’s more than 350 operators, some 3,000 A320-family jets were in the air.

Airbus described the fix as a relatively simple reversion to earlier software, though it must be completed before affected aircraft can resume regular service.

Some airlines, such as American Airlines, Lufthansa, IndiGo and EasyJet, have already begun temporarily withdrawing certain aircraft to complete the repair.

Despite the scale of the global recall, Nigerian operators maintain that travellers need not fear disruptions as the festive travel rush intensifies.

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