Overview

Vietjet acted promptly upon receiving an emergency directive from Airbus on 28 November. This directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandated a significant software update for nearly 6,000 A320 family aircraft within 32 hours.

Detailed Response

Operating 69 of the affected aircraft, Vietjet swiftly established its Emergency Response Committee. The airline mobilised engineering and operations teams to optimise the update process using real-time fleet data. Notably, engineer Nguyen Van Trung managed to limit the standard three-hour update to just 45 minutes, allowing the standardisation of this process across various stations.

As a result, all 69 aircraft were successfully updated nearly four hours ahead of the deadline, ensuring all operations continued without a hitch.

Risk Management

The directive was necessitated by a technical risk, whereby solar radiation could disrupt the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC) software, leading to unintentional nose-down movements.

Vietjet’s proactive actions showcased its operational resilience and technical readiness amid severe regulatory pressures.

Viet Thang, Vietjet’s Standing Vice President, noted that this operation marked a significant achievement, creating a new benchmark in operational procedures. Uong Viet Dung, the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, commended Vietjet’s preparedness and effective response to the situation.

This rapid and coordinated effort exemplified Vietjet’s capability to efficiently manage resources, implement optimised solutions, and uphold safety criteria in line with international standards, reflecting their readiness for critical regulatory challenges.