Press statement by Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism on EASA’s Emergency Airworthiness Directive

"On Friday evening, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive for part of the Airbus A320 fleet. I want to be clear: safety in European aviation is and will always remain our top priority.

This is how our system is meant to work. When an issue is identified, it is analysed, acted upon and resolved swiftly to maintain the highest level of protection for passengers and crews. Safety is not a one-off achievement – it requires constant vigilance and continuous improvement.

EASA’s directive ensured that the affected aircraft were addressed promptly and appropriately. This was one of the biggest retrofit actions ever undertaken, and the European aviation community mobilised rapidly to implement it. Updates are ongoing and close to completion. The close cooperation between EASA and the EU national aviation authorities has been essential in enabling such a swift and coordinated response.

At this stage, the software updates have not led to any noticeable impact on network operations, and no related issues have been reported at major airports.

I want to thank EASA, the EU national aviation authorities, EUROCONTROL, the airlines and Airbus for their rapid response, and passengers for their patience. While some disruption was unavoidable, these precautionary steps demonstrate Europe‘s commitment to keeping aviation safe worldwide for all passengers."

For more information

Emergency Airworthiness Directive

EASA news item