Airbus requests immediate modifications to thousands of aircraft

Thousands of Airbus planes had to be grounded for a software update after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers.

Around 6,000 A320 planes were thought to be affected - half the European firm's global fleet - but many were able to fly again within hours after undergoing the update.

The UK's aviation regulator said there would be "some disruption and cancellations to flights" though the impact at airports appears to be limited.

Airbus said it discovered the issue after an investigation into an incident in which a plane flying between the US and Mexico suddenly lost altitude in October.

Tim Johnson, policy director at the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, said the notice from Airbus "unfortunately may mean there is some disruption, some delays or cancellations over the coming days".

He added that aviation was still "one of the safest forms of transport" due to the rigorous maintenance programs airlines have in place, and described the mass-grounding of flights as a "a very rare event".

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said "the impact on UK airlines seems limited", adding: "It is heartening this issue has been identified and will be addressed so swiftly, demonstrating the high aviation safety standards globally."

The problem identified with A320 aircraft relates to a piece of computing software which calculates a plane's elevation.

Airbus discovered that, at high altitudes, its data could be corrupted by intense radiation released periodically by the Sun.

That led to the October incident in which an aircraft suddenly lost altitude - though the manufacturer said this was the only time an incident of its kind had occurred.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive, ordering the problem be addressed before each plane can carry passengers again.

They will be allowed to make so-called "ferry flights", without passengers, in order to reach a maintenance facility.

The A320 family are what is known as "fly by wire" planes. This means there is no direct mechanical link between the controls in the cockpit and the parts of the aircraft that actually govern flight, with the pilot's actions processed by a computer.