A Latam Airlines Airbus A320 sits on the tarmac at El Dorado airport in Bogota on Nov. 28, 2025.
Sergio Yate | Afp | Getty Images
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, said more than 200 planes were impacted. The airline later said that, as of 8 a.m. ET, just four aircrafts needed updating. “American expects no further operational impact related to the Emergency Airworthiness Directive and looks forward to the remaining days of the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, especially Sunday, our most-traveled day,” the airline said.
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 CEO Guillaume Faury said in a LinkedIn post: “The fix required on some #A320 aircraft has been causing significant logistical challenges and delays since yesterday. … Our teams are working around the clock to support our operators and ensure these updates are deployed as swiftly as possible to get planes back in the sky and resume normal operations.”
