Australia’s Jetstar Airways impacted by Airbus A320 fleet software issue, cancels some flights
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Qantas and its budget arm Jetstar together hold about 65 per cent of Australia’s domestic market.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
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SYDNEY – Jetstar Airways, the budget arm of Australia’s national flag carrier Qantas, said on Nov 29 it was impacted by the recall affecting more than half of Airbus’ A320 global fleet of jets.
Airbus, Europe’s largest aerospace group, said on Nov 28 it was ordering immediate repairs to 6,000 of its widely used A320 jets, sparking disruptions worldwide. The fix mainly involves reverting to earlier software but must be carried out before the planes can fly again.
A Jetstar spokesperson said in a statement on Nov 29 that “Jetstar is impacted by an Airbus fleet software issue that’s affecting all A320 family operators globally”.
“To respond to a precautionary action from Airbus, we have cancelled some Jetstar Airways flights,” the spokesperson said.
Qantas and budget arm Jetstar together hold about 65 per cent of Australia’s domestic market while Virgin, their biggest domestic competitor, has a 35 per cent share.
Qantas said on Nov 29 there was no impact on its aircraft from the Airbus recall. A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the company did “not anticipate any impact to either Virgin Australia or our regional airline operations”.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp reported that travellers were experiencing significant delays at Melbourne Airport on Nov 29 amid the recall, one of the largest affecting Airbus in its 55-year history. It comes weeks after the A320 overtook the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered model. REUTERS
