Airbus has issued an urgent recall affecting 6,000 aircraft from its A320 family, following a mid-air incident linked to a flight-control software vulnerability exposed by intense solar radiation. The directive, released Friday by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), requires airlines to perform an immediate software rollback on the ELAC system, grounding a significant portion of the global A320 fleet.
The recall impacts over half of the 11,300 A320-family aircraft worldwide, making it one of the largest corrective actions in Airbus’s history.
Airlines across the US, Europe, and Asia reported cancellations and delays as the fix—estimated to take around two hours per aircraft—was rolled out. American Airlines confirmed that 340 of its 480 A320 aircraft require the update, with most expected to return to service over the weekend. Delta, United, and Lufthansa also reported limited operational impact, while easyJet said it had already completed updates on most affected aircraft.
Some carriers faced more severe disruption. Avianca, whose fleet is heavily reliant on A320-family jets, temporarily suspended ticket sales for travel until 8 December, while Japan’s ANA cancelled 65 domestic flights on Saturday.
Industry sources have linked the recall to an incident involving a JetBlue A320 on 30 October, where passengers were injured after a sudden loss of altitude. The aircraft was diverted to Tampa, Florida.
Airbus stated that it “acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions,” but emphasised that the action is precautionary and necessary to ensure continued fleet safety.
Despite the scale of the recall, early indications suggest the impact on UK carriers will be limited. The UK transport secretary noted that only a small number of aircraft require more complex updates.
The A320 family—launched in 1984 and pioneering fly-by-wire controls—recently surpassed the Boeing 737 as the world’s most delivered commercial jet.
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