Orly airport malfunction was due to software on Windows 3.1 PC
The airport of Orly near Paris suffered a malfunction last weekend that forced planes to be grounded. According to the French magazine Le Canard Enchaîné, this was due to an error in the so-called Decor software, which would run on Windows 3.1.
Which stilt the French newspaper Le Monde based on a publication in the French satirical magazine. The magazine also reportedly writes serious articles from time to time, including the one about the recent disturbance at Orly airport. According to the French, last Saturday’s failure had to do with a software system called Decor that runs on the 23-year-old Windows 3.1.
An insider explained in a conversation with Le Canard Enchaîné that the software tools used at the airport are all between ten and twenty years old. This causes problems in the field of maintenance, among other things: in the case of Decor, there is a major shortage of people who have sufficient knowledge of the system. The old hardware also causes problems. Because it is no longer readily available, repairers sometimes have to search for old parts on Ebay.
The Decor software is used to communicate weather information. Air traffic controllers relay the information to pilots on takeoff and landing, but during the morning of November 7, the system failed to function. Because there was fog at the same time, aircraft were grounded as a precaution. After the incident, the French government has decided to modernize the software, although innovations are not expected before 2017.
Although renowned French media such as Le Monde have reported the story of the satirical magazine as news, there is no confirmation that it concerns hardware with Windows 3.1. The responsible French ministry has told various media that it will issue a statement on Monday. It is unknown whether it is the consumer version of Windows 3.1 or Windows NT 3.1. It is not the first time that a computer malfunction has grounded aircraft. Last summer, a malfunction prevented United Airlines flights.