Thousands of travelers were stranded worldwide after Airbus ordered immediate software fixes for 6,000 A320-series aircraft. This move, one of the largest in Airbus’s history, affected over half of the narrow-body fleet, forcing airlines to ground jets during a busy travel weekend. The disruption spilled into U.S. holiday travel and stretched to Australia, hitting Asian short-haul networks particularly hard.
Major carriers scrambled to update their fleets. American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, reported 209 aircraft were impacted. Japan’s ANA Holdings canceled 95 domestic flights, affecting 13,200 passengers, while Australia’s Jetstar canceled around 90 flights. Other airlines, including United, Delta, and Air India, reported varying levels of impact, with some experiencing delays and minor disruptions but avoiding widespread cancellations.
The emergency directive was issued after regulators linked ’intense solar radiation’ to a potential data corruption affecting flight controls. This followed an incident where a JetBlue flight experienced an uncommanded pitch down. Regulators warned the glitch could, in a worst-case scenario, lead to uncommanded elevator movement, prompting the urgent global safety action.
