Air India, IndiGo Warn Of Flight Delays As Airbus A320 Malfunction Threatens Global Disruption

In a significant development, major Indian carriers Air India and IndiGo have warned passengers of potential flight delays and schedule changes following an emergency safety directive from European regulators concerning a critical control malfunction in Airbus A320 family aircraft. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued the global mandate, which affects over 6,000 planes worldwide, after a preliminary investigation linked a fault in the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC) to an incident in October where a JetBlue aircraft experienced an uncommanded drop in altitude.

Both airlines have commenced mandatory maintenance to comply with the directive, acknowledging that the work will impact daily operations. 

Air India has put out an official statement acknowleding the directive, stating that the required "software/hardware realignment" on a portion of its fleet would lead to "longer turnaround time and delays to our scheduled operations."

The airline went on to urge all customers to check flight statuses online before heading to airports.

IndiGo, India’s largest carrier, emphasised that "safety comes first," acknowledging the directive with an official statement.

The airline confirmed it is working with authorities to dish out these precautionary updates. As a result, some flight could see some scheduled changes.

Air India Express, the low-cost itieration of Air India, has also issued an advisory, noting it has initiated "precautionary action" following the alert.

"While most of our aircraft are not impacted, this guidance applies to operators worldwide, leading to delays or cancellations," the airline stated.