Global Flights Hit as Airbus Orders A320 Recall

News Desk 

Islamabad: Global air travel faced widespread disruption on Saturday after Airbus ordered an immediate recall of around 6,000 aircraft from its A320 family—nearly half of the model’s worldwide fleet—following a mid-air incident linked to a software vulnerability.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive, calling the action a “precautionary measure” prompted by a recent investigation. Officials said intense solar radiation may corrupt critical data in the aircraft’s flight-control computers.

Industry sources said the trigger was a JetBlue flight on October 30, travelling from Mexico to the United States, which experienced a sudden loss of altitude, injuring 15 passengers.

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The recall requires airlines to roll back to an earlier version of the Elevator and Aileron Computer (ELAC) software. Although the update is straightforward, each aircraft must undergo the procedure before being cleared to fly, forcing carriers worldwide to temporarily ground large portions of their fleets.

American Airlines, the world’s largest operator of A320-family jets, said 340 of its 480 aircraft require the urgent software rollback.

In Asia, Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) cancelled 65 flights on Saturday, November 29, while Colombian carrier Avianca—where more than 70% of its fleet is affected—halted ticket sales for upcoming travel.

The disruption comes at a critical time, coinciding with the busy US Thanksgiving travel weekend. However, the UK transport secretary said the impact on British carriers so far appeared “limited.”

The directive constitutes one of the largest recalls in Airbus’s 55-year history, and officials warned that global airline schedules may continue to face delays until grounded aircraft complete the mandatory update.