Airbus A320 recall disrupts global travel after glitch linked to solar flares

Thousands of travelers worldwide were stranded after Airbus ordered immediate software fixes for 6,000 A320-series aircraft, a move that affected more than half of the narrow-body fleet and forced airlines to ground jets during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

The directive — among the largest in the 55-year history of Airbus — quickly spilled into U.S. holiday travel and stretched to Australia. The disruption, linked to solar flares, hit especially hard in Asia, where the single-aisle A320 family anchors short-haul networks.

American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, told CNBC that the Airbus recall impacted 209 aircraft, down from the more than 340 initially identified. “As of 6 p.m. CT, American has fewer than 150 aircraft remaining to update,” American Airlines said.

“We expect the overwhelming majority of those to be completed today and through the night, with only a handful remaining for completion tomorrow.”

United Airlines said six aircraft in its fleet were affected, and the carrier expected “minor disruption to a few flights.” Delta Air Lines said less than 50 of its Airbus A320 fleet were affected.

Japan’s ANA Holdings canceled 95 domestic flights Saturday, affecting around 13,200 passengers. The carrier, along with affiliates such as Peach Aviation, operates the country’s largest Airbus narrow-body fleet, while rival Japan Airlines relies mostly on Boeing aircraft.

Air India, which is partially owned by Singapore Airlines, said it had completed software updates on over 40% of its affected aircraft and that there were no flight cancellations, although some flights were delayed or rescheduled.

Scoot, another carrier under the Singapore Airlines group, said 21 of its 29 A320s required the fix and that it aimed to complete the work by Saturday.

In Australia, Jetstar Airways canceled around 90 flights after identifying 34 aircraft that required the software correction.

“As of 3:30 pm [local time], 20 of the 34 affected aircraft are ready to return to service. We’re expecting the remaining to be ready overnight, allowing flights to resume as planned on Sunday 30 November,” a Jetstar spokesperson told CNBC.

The budget airline and its parent company, Qantas, which is Australia’s national flag carrier, together hold about 65% of the domestic market. Rival Virgin Australia, which has four A320s in its fleet and a 35% share, said that it was unaffected by the recall.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive on Friday that a JetBlue flight on Oct. 30 experienced an “uncommanded and limited pitch down event.” The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also issued an emergency directive later that day, ordering operators of the affected model to address the glitch.

Airbus said it issued the order after it was revealed that “intense solar radiation” may have corrupted data critical to the functioning of flight controls.

Regulators warned that the issue could lead to “an uncommanded elevator movement” in the worst-case scenario.