Airbus A320 Recall Disrupts Asian Travel as Airlines Rush to Install Software Fix

Airbus A320 Recall Disrupts Asian Travel; Airlines Move Quickly to Patch Software Glitch

Asian airlines accelerated efforts on Saturday to fix a software malfunction in their Airbus A320 jets, after the European plane maker issued a sweeping recall across the region—just days after the issue triggered major travel disruptions in the United States during one of the busiest weekends of the year.

More than half of the 6,000 aircraft recalled are part of the Airbus (AIR.PA) A320 family, long considered the backbone of Asia’s short-haul aviation network. The model is especially critical in high-growth markets like India and China, where rising incomes have pushed millions of new passengers into the skies.

Regulators worldwide followed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s directive, ordering airlines to address the A320 software flaw before resuming flights.

The recall, issued to 350 operators across the globe, is believed to be the largest in Airbus’ 55-year history. It comes only weeks after the A320 overtook Boeing’s 737 as the world’s most-delivered commercial aircraft.

Fix Is Simple — but Mandatory

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration instructed carriers to update or replace the software controlling the elevators and ailerons on A319, A320 and A321 jets.

India’s aviation regulator reported that 338 Airbus aircraft in the country were affected, but said the software reset would be completed by Sunday. IndiGo (INGL.NS), India’s largest airline, has already finished updates on 143 of its 200 impacted planes. Air India, with 113 affected jets, has reset 42 so far. Both carriers warned of delays on Saturday.

Air India said on X that its network was largely unaffected, though some flights may run late or require rescheduling.

Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration ordered inspections and maintenance checks, estimating that nearly two-thirds of the island’s 67 A320 and A321 aircraft were impacted.

Japan’s largest airline, ANA Holdings (9202.T), cancelled 65 flights on Saturday and warned of further disruptions. ANA and its subsidiaries, including Peach Aviation, operate the largest A320 fleet in Japan.

Rival Japan Airlines (9201.T), which primarily flies Boeing (BA.N) aircraft, remained unaffected. However, NHK reported that 95 flights were cancelled nationwide due to the grounding of A320-family jets.

Worldwide, about 11,300 single-aisle jets are in service, including 6,440 core A320-family aircraft. The fix mainly involves rolling back to an earlier version of the software. While straightforward, it must be completed before the aircraft can fly again.

October Incident Triggered Recall, Sources Say

Jetstar, the budget arm of Australia’s flag carrier Qantas (QAN.AX), said some of its services would be affected. ABC reported long delays at Melbourne Airport.

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines (020560.KS) said only 17 of its aircraft were impacted and that it did not expect major disruptions. Its competitor Korean Air (003490.KS) is working to return 10 affected jets to service.

American Airlines (AAL.O), the world’s largest A320 operator, said 340 of its 480 A320-family aircraft required the fix, most of which were expected to be updated by Saturday. Major U.S. carriers—American, Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), JetBlue (JBLU.O) and United Airlines—are among the 10 biggest operators of the A320 worldwide.

European carriers including Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) and the U.K.’s easyJet (EZJ.L) also confirmed they are carrying out the software corrections.

Colombian carrier Avianca said the recall affects more than 70% of its fleet, prompting it to halt ticket sales for travel dates up to 8 December.

Industry sources revealed that the recall was prompted by an October 30 incident in which a JetBlue flight from Cancún to Newark experienced a sudden loss of altitude, injuring several passengers.