Airbus issues major A320 recall, disrupts Thanksgiving travel

Airbus has issued one of the largest recalls in its history, ordering fixes for 6,000 A320 aircraft—over half of the global fleet—due to a software flaw in the flight-control system. Airlines must revert to an older software version before the jets can operate, causing widespread disruptions during the busy Thanksgiving travel period.

Thousands of A320s were already flying when the alert was issued, forcing carriers across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Latin America to take planes out of service. American Airlines must repair 340 aircraft, while Lufthansa, IndiGo, easyJet, Avianca, and others also expect delays and cancellations. Some airlines warned of multi-day disruptions, and more than 1,000 jets may also need hardware replacements.

The recall was triggered after a JetBlue flight experienced a sudden altitude drop linked to a flight-control failure, with Airbus later confirming that solar flares can corrupt critical data. Maintenance centers, already strained by labor shortages, are now under additional pressure to complete the urgent repairs.

Credit : CGTN