If you’re flying this Thanksgiving, brace yourself. Airbus just dropped a bombshell: a major recall on its A320 family aircraft after a flight control software issue surfaced. This isn’t a minor tweak, it’s an urgent directive that requires grounding affected planes until updates are complete. And yes, this impacts some of the biggest names in the skies, including American Airlines.
A 320 Recall
On November 28, Airbus confirmed that a critical software update is needed across a large portion of the global A320 fleet. Airlines can’t fly these planes until the fix is installed, meaning thousands of aircraft are sidelined at maintenance bases. This affects A319s, A320s, and A321. The timing of this is absolutely brutal as this is right in the middle of peak holiday travel. Safety first folks! If you are flying this weekend, you might be in trouble as this will add to delays and cancellations.
The reason, a solar flair incident. Per Reuters
Airbus said a recent incident involving an A320-family aircraft had revealed that solar flares may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.Industry sources said the incident that triggered the unexpected repair action involved a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, on October 30, in which several passengers were hurt following a sharp loss of altitude.
Airlines A320 Fleet Hit Hard
American Airlines operates one of the largest A320 fleets in North America. 340 of American Airlines 480 A320 aircraft fleet will need this fix. The good news, it only takes two hours. The bad news, it has to be done to all 340 aircraft before they can fly again! American Airlines has not issued a travel alert yet, which is somewhat shocking. Meanwhile Avianca has suspended ticket sales!
Avianca is feeling the pain more than most, as over 70% of its fleet is affected, forcing the airline to take extreme measures. Currently Avianca has suspend ticket sales through December 8 to manage rebooking chaos.
Bottom Line
Safety comes first, and Airbus is moving quickly to resolve the issue. But for travelers, the next few days will be rough. If you’re flying Avianca or American Airlines, or really any carrier heavy on A320s including Lufthansa in Europe, stay proactive. Monitor updates, keep your options open, and pack patience along with your holiday cheer. Good luck!
