Kiwi travellers are facing major disruption this morning due to a global software issue affecting Airbus A320 planes.

Both Air New Zealand and Jetstar, the country’s two main domestic airlines, have grounded planes while responding to the situation.

Air New Zealand Chief Safety and Risk Officer Nathan McGraw said the global software issue was impacting their Airbus A320neo aircraft.

“As a precaution, all A320neo aircraft in our fleet will receive a software update before operating their next passenger service. This will lead to disruption across a number of our A320neo flights today and we’re expecting a number of cancellations to services across that fleet.

“We will contact customers directly if their flight is affected”, McGraw said.

He said customers can also check the latest updates on their flight through the Air NZ app or website.

“We will provide an update when we have more information on the impact to our services today.”

Jetstar flights are also facing disruption.

“Due to an issue affecting Airbus A320 operators globally, some of Jetstar’s Airbus-operated flights are unable to depart at this stage”, the airline said in a statement.

“We’re working through the impacts on our fleet and to our customers. We’ll have more information shortly.

“We apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused.”

Jetstar recently added a ninth A320 to its fleet.

Airbus warned of impending disruption

Airbus on Friday warned of potential travel disruption as it upgrades some 6,000 operational A320 aircraft, after an incident on a JetBlue flight last month.

The European plane-maker on Friday instructed its clients to take “immediate precautionary action” after evaluating the incident.

“Intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls,” Airbus stated, adding that “a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service” may be affected.

Replacing the software will take “a few hours” on most planes but for some 1,000 aircraft, the process “will take weeks”, a source close to the issue told AFP.

The faulty software, the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC), is made by aerospace and defence giant Thales.

“Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers,” it said, apologising for the inconvenience.

On October 30, a JetBlue-operated A320 aircraft encountered an in-flight control issue due to a computer malfunction.

The plane suddenly nosedived as it travelled between Cancun in Mexico and Newark in the United States, and pilots had to land in Tampa, Florida.

US media quoted local firefighters saying that some passengers were injured.

Produced since 1988, the A320 is the best-selling airplane globally, with Airbus selling 12,257 of the aircraft by the end of September compared to the sale of 12,254 Boeing 737s.

- Additional reporting Agence France-Presse