Global Airlines Rush to Fix Airbus A320 Jets After Partial Recall
Global airlines raced to address a software issue affecting Airbus A320 jets on Saturday, after a partial recall forced the grounding of hundreds of flights across Asia and Europe and threatened U.S. travel during the busy Thanksgiving weekend.
Airlines worked overnight to implement the fix after regulators instructed them to resolve the problem before resuming flights. Several carriers, including American Airlines, Air India, Delta Air Lines, and Wizz Air, reported completing or nearly completing updates to their fleets, with many noting minimal operational disruptions.
The urgent work helped limit flight delays in Asia and Europe. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said affected carriers “have reported great progress, and are on track to meet the deadline of this Sunday at midnight to complete the work,” adding that travelers “SHOULD NOT expect any major disruptions.” Aviation analyst Brendan Sobie described the situation as “not as chaotic as some people might think,” though it created short-term operational challenges.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury apologised for the recall of more than 6,000 A320-family jets, writing, “I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now.” The recall followed an October 30 JetBlue flight that suffered an unintended loss of altitude, injuring 10 passengers.
The timing of the alert allowed European and Asian airlines to address the issue during off-peak hours, while U.S. carriers faced the busy holiday travel period. Airlines must revert the software controlling the aircraft’s nose angle, and in some cases, adjust hardware on older jets. Fewer than 1,000 planes may require these more extensive changes.
The repair, taking two to three hours per jet, is mandatory before flights can resume. Globally, there are around 11,300 A320-family aircraft in service, including 6,440 core A320s. Airlines such as Wizz Air, AirAsia, IndiGo, and Air India have been rapidly completing updates, while ANA Holdings canceled 95 flights, affecting 13,500 passengers. Analysts note the financial impact is limited for European carriers due to the timing of the recall.
