Aircraft software upgrade triggers major travel backlog across the Philippines

More than 15,000 passengers from three major Philippine airlines were affected by a required software update for Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, resulting in nearly 100 delayed or canceled flights.

According to acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Airbus and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) ordered the update as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and airworthiness of all affected aircraft.

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines canceled 78 domestic flights due to the software update on their A320 and A321 fleets.

“About 14,000 passengers in total were affected by the cancellations implemented by PAL and Cebu Pacific. We don’t have final numbers yet. It’s a running total of those affected by the delays,” Lopez said.

AirAsia Philippines also reported disruptions, with 11 flights affected.

“We only had one aircraft affected, and that aircraft is now flying and fully compliant. We experienced a total of 11 delayed flights and 1,545 passengers affected,” said Gomer Monreal, AirAsia’s director of flight operations.

Lopez stressed that such software updates are a global requirement and are critical for passenger safety. He added that 75 aircraft across the three airlines were affected and are currently undergoing updates.

AirAsia has completed the process, while Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines are expected to finish by Sunday.

Jose EL Perez de Tagle, executive director of the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP), assured the public that airlines are on track to complete all updates by Sunday, noting that each aircraft takes roughly two hours to update.

“We anticipate resolving this by Sunday. By noontime—24 hours from now—we should see a significant increase in airline operations and, hopefully, a return to normal conditions,” De Tagle said.