Airbus A320 Software Update: SAA Anticipates no Flight Disruptions

South African Airways (SAA) has confirmed that it has received an urgent Airworthiness Directive (AD) from Airbus concerning a mandatory software update for the A320 model aircraft.

Currently, the airline does not anticipate any flight disruptions because of this compliance action, according to a statement issued today.

The airline said that safety remained its highest priority. In response, the airline has taken immediate and proactive measures to ensure full compliance with the directive, which mandates completion of the software installation by 23:59 UTC on Saturday, 29 November 2025.

SAA Technical (SAAT) has mobilised resources early this morning to initiate the required software installation. "Despite the narrow compliance window, our teams are working efficiently to complete the four-hour installation procedure on the two affected aircraft within our fleet of 14 A320s."

SAA said that a robust plan was 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.

Further updates will be provided should there be any material change to this situation or its impact on our operations.

It will be recalled that on 28 November, 2025, Airbus issued an Airworthiness Directive to operators of the A320 aircraft to update the airliner's software. The directive became necessary following the discovery by Airbus that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.