A Latam Airways Airbus A320 sits on the tarmac at El Dorado airport in Bogota on Nov. 28, 2025.
Sergio Yate | Afp | Getty Pictures
Hundreds of vacationers worldwide have been stranded after Airbus ordered instant software program fixes for six,000 A320-series plane, a transfer that affected greater than half of the narrow-body fleet and compelled airways to floor jets throughout one of many busiest journey weekends of the 12 months.
The directive — among the many largest within the 55-year historical past of Airbus — shortly spilled into U.S. vacation journey and stretched to Australia. The disruption, linked to photo voltaic flares, hit particularly arduous in Asia, the place the single-aisle A320 household anchors short-haul networks.
American Airways, the world’s largest A320 operator, stated greater than 200 planes have been impacted. The airline later stated that, as of 8 a.m. ET, simply 4 aircrafts wanted updating. “We count on the overwhelming majority of these to be accomplished as we speak and thru the evening, with solely a handful remaining for completion tomorrow,” the corporate informed CNBC in an announcement.
United Airways stated six plane in its fleet have been affected, and the service anticipated “minor disruption to a couple flights.” Delta Air Traces stated lower than 50 of its Airbus A320 fleet have been affected.
Japan’s ANA Holdings canceled 95 home flights Saturday, affecting round 13,200 passengers. The service, together with associates similar to Peach Aviation, operates the nation’s largest Airbus narrow-body fleet, whereas rival Japan Airways depends totally on Boeing plane.
Air India, which is partially owned by Singapore Airways, stated it had accomplished software program updates on over 40% of its affected plane and that there have been no flight cancellations, though some flights have been delayed or rescheduled.
Scoot, one other service below the Singapore Airways group, stated 21 of its 29 A320s required the repair and that it aimed to finish the work by Saturday.
In Australia, Jetstar Airways canceled round 90 flights after figuring out 34 plane that required the software program correction.
“As of 3:30 pm [local time], 20 of the 34 affected plane are able to return to service. We’re anticipating the remaining to be prepared in a single day, permitting flights to renew as deliberate on Sunday 30 November,” a Jetstar spokesperson informed CNBC.
The finances airline and its father or mother firm, Qantas, which is Australia’s nationwide flag service, collectively maintain about 65% of the home market. Rival Virgin Australia, which has 4 A320s in its fleet and a 35% share, stated that it was unaffected by the recall.
The European Union Aviation Security Company stated in a directive on Friday {that a} JetBlue flight on Oct. 30 skilled an “uncommanded and restricted pitch down occasion.” The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration additionally issued an emergency directive later that day, ordering operators of the affected mannequin to handle the glitch.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury stated in a LinkedIn submit: “The repair required on some hashtag#A320 plane has been inflicting vital logistical challenges and delays since yesterday. … Our groups are working across the clock to help our operators and guarantee these updates are deployed as swiftly as attainable to get planes again within the sky and resume regular operations.”
