Airlines Worldwide Race to Fix Airbus A320 Jets After Software Recall Disrupts Hundreds of Flights

Airlines across the world worked through Saturday to fix a software issue affecting Airbus A320 jets, after a partial recall by the European manufacturer disrupted hundreds of flights across Asia and Europe and raised concerns about potential travel delays in the United States during one of the year’s busiest weekends.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury apologized to airlines and passengers after the sudden grounding of more than 6,000 aircraft—over half of the global A320-family fleet—just months after the model overtook the Boeing 737 as the most-delivered aircraft in aviation history.

“I sincerely apologize to our airline customers and passengers who are now affected,” Faury wrote on LinkedIn.

The safety alert followed an incident on October 30, when a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark suddenly lost altitude, injuring 10 passengers. France’s BEA accident investigation agency, which is examining the case, said the problem appeared linked to the jet’s flight-control software.

Global Scramble to Fix the Issue

Regulators worldwide ordered airlines to correct the problem before returning their A320s to service. Carriers worked overnight, helping avoid widespread chaos and easing delays across Asia and Europe. In the U.S., heavy post-Thanksgiving travel demand added extra pressure.

“It’s not as chaotic as some might think but certainly disruptive,” said Asia aviation analyst Brendan Sobie.

The timing proved somewhat fortunate for many European and Asian airlines, which typically reduce schedules at night and rely heavily on A320-family jets for short- to medium-haul routes. This gave operators valuable repair windows. The U.S., however, faced recalls just ahead of the Thanksgiving travel weekend.

Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway said the late-evening alert helped prevent deeper operational trouble. The airline repaired all 13 affected jets and expected full normal operations by midnight.

What the Repairs Involve

Airlines are required to revert aircraft computers to a previous software version that controls nose-angle detection. Some older planes may also need hardware replacements.

Industry sources said Airbus has since told carriers that repairs may be less extensive than initially feared. Early estimates suggest fewer than 1,000 jets will need time-consuming hardware modifications.

Still, the abrupt recall was costly and unusual, occurring amid global shortages of labor and aircraft parts.

Investigators are also examining the role of solar flare radiation, noted as a potential factor in the JetBlue incident. French authorities categorize it as an “incident,” the lowest tier of safety concern.

“Any operational challenge that hits a large part of your fleet at short notice is difficult to manage,” said UK aviation consultant John Strickland.

Repairs Progress Worldwide

Each aircraft requires two to three hours of work before returning to service. Of the world’s 11,300 single-aisle jets in service, around 6,440 belong to the A320 family.

Tracking data from Cirium and FlightAware showed most major airports operating with moderate or manageable delays.

Wizz Air reported completing updates on all affected aircraft overnight. AirAsia set a 48-hour target for completing repairs.

India’s aviation regulator said IndiGo had reset 184 of its 200 affected aircraft, while Air India had repaired 69 of 113 jets, with both carriers expecting to finish by Saturday.

Taiwan reported that nearly two-thirds of the 67 A320 and A321 jets operated by its airlines were affected.

Japan’s ANA Holdings canceled 95 flights on Saturday, affecting 13,500 passengers. ANA and its affiliate Peach Aviation operate the largest A320 fleets in the country. Japan Airlines was unaffected due to its predominantly Boeing fleet.

Australia’s Jetstar said some flights would face disruption, while South Korea’s transport ministry expects upgrades on 42 aircraft to be completed by Sunday morning.

In the U.S., American Airlines— the world’s largest A320 operator—said 209 of its 480 aircraft required fixes, fewer than initially estimated. Most were expected to be repaired by Saturday. Delta, JetBlue, and United also operate large A320 fleets.

Strickland noted that while Thanksgiving is critical for U.S. carriers, the financial impact on European airlines is softened by the fact that the recall happened just before the relatively slow period preceding Christmas and the ski season.