Airbus recall disrupts global travel as A320 jets grounded over glitch linked to solar flares
A Latam Airlines Airbus A320 sits on the tarmac at El Dorado airport in Bogota on November 28, 2025.
Sergio Yate | Afp | Getty Images
Parts of the world’s air travel network were disrupted after Airbus on Friday instant software fixes ordered The move to 6,000 A320 series aircraft affected more than half the narrow-body fleet and forced airlines to ground their jets during the busiest travel weekends of the year.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive: JetBlue The flight on October 30 had an “uncommanded and limited drop incident.”
The disruption quickly spread to US holiday travel and spread to Australia. Airbus said it placed the order after “a recent incident on A320 Family aircraft revealed that intense solar radiation could corrupt data critical to the operation of flight controls.”
Regulators warned that in a worst-case scenario the problem could lead to “uncontrolled elevator movement”.
directive The crisis, among the biggest in Airbus’s 55-year history, has been hit particularly hard in Asia, where the single-aisle A320 family is strengthening short-haul networks in countries such as Japan, China and India.
global blackouts
American AirlinesThe world’s largest A320 operator told CNBC that Airbus’ recall affects 209 of the more than 340 aircraft initially identified.
“As of 6pm CT, American has fewer than 150 aircraft remaining that need updating,” American Airlines said.
“We expect the vast majority of these to be completed today and overnight, with only a handful to be completed tomorrow.”
United Airlines It said six aircraft in its fleet were affected and the carrier expected “minor disruption to a few flights.”
Scoot, budget arm Singapore AirlinesHe said that 21 of 29 Airbus A320s were affected and that they aimed to complete the repairs by Saturday.
Jetstar Airways canceled in Australia about 90 flights after identifying the aircraft that requires software correction. The budget airline and its parent company Qantas, Australia’s national flag carrier, together account for approximately 65 percent in the domestic marketRival Virgin Australia has a 33% share.
of japan ANA Holding According to Reuters, 65 flights were canceled on Saturday. The carrier operates the nation’s largest Airbus narrowbody fleet, along with subsidiaries such as Peach Aviation. Japan Airlines It relies mostly on Boeing planes.
The A320 series is one of the most widely used commercial aircraft worldwide, serving dense regional networks dependent on rapid turnarounds, particularly in Asia.
