Airbus has announced a sweeping recall requiring immediate repairs on 6,000 A320 planes, affecting more than half of the global fleet.
It appears to be one of the biggest recalls Airbus has faced in its 55-year history and comes just weeks after the A320 surpassed the Boeing 737 as the most-produced aircraft.
The move was triggered by a recent incident involving an A320-family aircraft, which revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.
Follow latest updates on Airbus disruption
Industry sources said roughly two-thirds of the affected aircraft will face only short groundings as airlines roll back to an earlier software version.
However, hundreds of jets may also need hardware replacements, potentially leading to much longer delays.
Around 3,000 A320 aircraft were flying worldwide soon after the Airbus announcement.
Here is how airlines are affected by the issue:
British Airways
British Airways told Sky News that only three of its aircraft were affected and the required fixes will be carried out overnight and are not expected to disrupt its operations.
American Airlines
The world’s largest A320 operator, American Airlines, said some 340 of its 480 A320 aircraft would need the fix.
The airline said it mostly expected these to be completed by Saturday with about two hours required for each plane.
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines said it will comply with the directive and expects any operational impact on its Airbus A320 family fleet to be limited.
Lufthansa
German carrier Lufthansa said it has been informed of potential software issues affecting its Airbus A320-family fleet.
The airline warned that a small number of flight cancellations or delays may occur over the weekend, and confirmed it is fully complying with all manufacturer and regulatory requirements, having already begun implementing the measures prescribed by Airbus.
Wizz Air
A Wizz Air spokesperson confirmed that some of the airline’s aircraft are among those requiring a software update flagged by Airbus.
The airline has already scheduled the necessary maintenance, but some flights over the weekend may be affected.
EasyJet
EasyJet said it has been informed by Airbus of an “important update relating to aircraft in the A320 family”.
“We want to reassure our customers that safety is always our highest priority and our fleet operates in strict compliance with the manufacturer’s guidelines,” the low-cost carrier said.
It added that “a software update is under way on our A320 family” and that customers will be notified if their flights are affected.
Avianca
Colombian airline Avianca said on Friday that a major Airbus A320 recall impacts over 70% of its fleet, leading to “significant” operational disruptions over the next 10 days.
The carrier also announced it had suspended ticket sales for travel through to 8 December.
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Air India
Air India said it is aware of an Airbus directive affecting its in-service A320-family aircraft.
The airline warned that required software and hardware updates on part of its fleet could lead to longer turnaround times and delays to scheduled operations.
IndiGo
India’s low-cost carrier IndiGo said it is proactively completing the required updates on its A320 aircraft and warned that some flights may experience slight schedule changes.
Azul Airlines
Brazil’s Azul Airlines said that none of its A320 jets are affected by the Airbus recall.
