Global Airlines Scramble to Fix Airbus A320 Software Issue
Major airlines worldwide worked urgently through Saturday to address a critical software glitch discovered in Airbus A320 aircraft, with the European manufacturer issuing a partial recall that disrupted hundreds of flights across Asia and Europe while threatening travel plans during one of the year's busiest travel weekends.
The crisis emerged when Airbus alerted airlines that up to 6,000 active A320 aircraft might require immediate software upgrades due to a vulnerability that could compromise flight safety under specific conditions.
Which Airlines Were Affected and How Did They Respond?
According to Reuters reports, carriers worked overnight after global regulators mandated they resolve the issue before operating affected aircraft. Several major airlines including United Airlines, Air India, Delta Air Lines, and Hungary's Wizz Air confirmed by Saturday that they had completed or nearly finished implementing the necessary fixes across their fleets.
Bloomberg reported that within less than 24 hours of Airbus issuing the alert, major A320 operators including American Airlines, IndiGo, and easyJet Plc had reverted most of their fleets to previous software versions, allowing them to maintain largely normal operations.
Air India announced significant progress, confirming in a social media post that they had successfully completed the reset on over 90% of its operating A320 family aircraft requiring updates.
IndiGo, India's largest carrier by market share, reported completing the mandatory Airbus system upgrade across its entire A320-family fleet, confirming all 200 aircraft now meet the latest safety requirements.
American Airlines revealed that only four of its 209 affected aircraft still needed maintenance by Saturday, while Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines Inc. separately stated the software issue had no operational impact.
What Caused the Airbus Software Glitch?
Airbus identified the root cause on Friday, explaining that high levels of solar radiation could corrupt essential flight control data in numerous A320 family aircraft. The necessary software updates were expected to cause operational disruptions during implementation.
The fix primarily involved reverting to earlier software versions, with aircraft requiring this change before receiving flight clearance, according to an airline bulletin reviewed by Reuters. While data upload typically takes just 2 to 3 hours, Bloomberg reported that up to 1,000 older jets needed physical hardware upgrades and were grounded during maintenance.
The alert followed an October 30 incident where a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, experienced an unintended altitude loss, resulting in injuries to 10 passengers. France's BEA accident agency is investigating this incident.
What Should Travellers Expect Now?
Despite the timing during the high-demand Thanksgiving holiday period, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy provided reassuring news, stating that impacted American carriers had "reported great progress" and were on track to meet the Sunday midnight deadline.
"Travellers SHOULD NOT expect any major disruptions," Duffy emphasized in a social media post, confirming all affected US airlines remained on schedule to complete required aircraft work.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury issued a public apology to airlines and passengers affected by the unexpected recall. "I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now," Faury posted on professional social media platform LinkedIn.
The European manufacturer confirmed that more than 6,000 aircraft were affected by the glitch, representing over half of the worldwide A320 fleet, potentially risking corruption of vital flight control system data under specific conditions.
