SAA confirms urgent Airbus software update for A320 aircraft
SAA races to install urgent Airbus software update on A320s to avoid grounding
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South African Airways (SAA) has confirmed it received an urgent Airworthiness Directive (AD) from Airbus, requiring a mandatory software update for its A320 aircraft.
In a statement released by SAA, the directive, which must be complied with by 23:59 UTC on Saturday, November 29, prompted an immediate response from the airline.
“Safety remains SAA’s highest priority. In response, we have taken immediate and proactive measures to ensure full compliance with the directive, which mandates completion of the software installation by 23:59 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) on Saturday, 29 November 2025,” read a statement from the airline.
SAA said it does not expect any disruptions to its flight schedule as a result of the compliance process.
“Currently, SAA does not anticipate any flight disruptions because of this compliance action.”
SAA Technical (SAAT) began work early on Saturday morning to install the required software on the two affected aircraft in its fleet of 14 A320s. The installation process takes approximately four hours per aircraft.
“A robust plan is in place to ensure the swift completion of this critical maintenance, with every effort to avoid disruptions to our flight schedule. Should any aircraft fail to meet compliance by the deadline, it will be immediately grounded,” commented Group Chief Executive Officer Prof. John Lamola.
“We appreciate the understanding of our customers and assure them that we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and operational integrity throughout this process,” added Lamola.
SAA said it would provide further updates if there are any significant changes to the situation or its operational impact.