Airlines worldwide are warning passengers of possible delays and cancellations after Airbus issued an urgent directive requiring safety updates across its A320 family aircraft. The recall affects up to 6,000 jets globally, following concerns over a flight-control issue linked to intense solar radiation.
The alert was triggered by an October incident involving a JetBlue A320 flying from Cancun to Newark, which experienced a sudden altitude drop and diverted to Tampa, leaving 15 passengers with minor injuries. Investigators later found that solar radiation may corrupt data in the aircraft’s Elevator Aileron Computer, prompting regulators and Airbus to mandate immediate software or hardware fixes.
Major carriers have begun adjusting schedules as updates roll out. American Airlines has 340 aircraft affected and expects most updates to be completed by Saturday. Delta is addressing fewer than 50 A321neo jets with minimal disruption expected, while Air France has already cancelled 35 flights. Avianca, which has about 70% of its fleet impacted, warned of significant delays over the next 10 days. In India, IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express expect slower turnarounds for 200–250 aircraft. Flynas, Saudia and several Asia-Pacific airlines also anticipate schedule changes.
Regulators say most aircraft require a three-hour software patch, while around 900 older jets need hardware replacements and cannot operate passenger flights until the work is completed. Some limited ferry flights to maintenance bases are permitted.
Airbus stressed that the directive is precautionary and that no accidents have been directly linked to the issue. The A320 remains one of the world’s most widely used aircraft families, operating across thousands of daily routes. Passengers are advised to monitor airline notifications as operators complete the required updates in the coming days.
