On Friday (November 28, 2025), Europe's Airbus dropped a bombshell for travelers: a major recall of 6,000 of its A320 jets—one of the largest in the company's history—right as millions hit the skies for Thanksgiving weekend. The move is causing waves of delays and cancellations across the globe. ✈️🦃
This recall affects over half of the global A320 fleet. Airbus identified a software glitch in the flight control system that could be compromised by solar flares, so airlines must revert to an older software version before any jet can fly again. With about 3,000 of these planes already airborne when the recall bulletin went out, carriers from the U.S. to India are scrambling to land and fix their A320s.
American Airlines—the world's biggest A320 operator—needs to update 340 of its 480 A320s. The airline says each aircraft takes roughly two hours to fix, and most should be back in the sky by Saturday. Meanwhile, Germany's Lufthansa, India's IndiGo, and UK-based easyJet have also pulled jets for repairs. Colombian carrier Avianca halted ticket sales through December 8 after finding the recall impacts over 70% of its fleet.
Maintenance hangars, already stretched thin by labor shortages, are under fresh pressure. Some sources warn that more than 1,000 A320s might even need hardware swaps, potentially keeping them grounded longer.
The recall was triggered by a scary incident on October 30, when a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark suffered a sudden altitude drop due to a control failure, injuring several passengers. Airbus says solar flares may corrupt key flight data, prompting this swift action.
Air France canceled 35 flights (5% of its daily schedule), Mexico's Volaris warned of up to 72 hours of disruptions, and Air New Zealand has already scratched multiple routes. For travelers, the advice is clear: check your flight status, stay flexible, and pack extra patience. 🙏🌎
As airports buzz with holiday crowds, this A320 recall is a stark reminder of how a single software quirk can ripple across the world's busiest travel weekend. Safe travels—wherever you're heading! 🌍✨
Reference(s):
Airbus issues major A320 recall, disrupts Thanksgiving travel
cgtn.com
