Global Disruptions as Airbus Grounds 6,000 A320s for Urgent Software Fix

On Friday evening, Airbus announced a critical recall of approximately 6,000 A320 aircraft worldwide to replace navigation software vulnerable to solar radiation. This urgent maintenance notice triggered widespread flight cancellations and delays across multiple continents, significantly impacting major air carriers and airports, including key French hubs.

In Paris, disruptions hit both Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, where flights to destinations such as Birmingham, Madrid, Tunis, Marseille, Ajaccio, and Nice were canceled, affecting around fifteen flights according to Aeroports de Paris (ADP). Air France alone canceled 35 flights on Friday night and adjusted its schedule for the following day to accommodate the changes. ADP warned that dozens more flights would be disturbed on Saturday, with passengers being notified in advance.

Across the Atlantic, American Airlines promptly began updating the navigation software on its A320 fleet of 340 aircraft, aiming to complete a majority of these updates by Saturday despite expecting some delays. United Airlines initially reported no impact but later acknowledged six affected planes, anticipating minor disruptions.

In Latin America, Colombian airline Avianca revealed that 70% of its fleet was impacted, forecasting major disruptions over the next ten days and suspending ticket sales until December 8. The Philippines saw local carriers Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific cancel over 40 flights, providing refunds and options for date changes to affected travelers.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stressed that safety remains the utmost priority in this situation, mandating swift action to mitigate risks posed by the software vulnerability. Airbus’s decision underscores a commitment to passenger safety despite the operational challenges it has caused globally.

With the coordinated effort to update all vulnerable A320 aircraft ongoing, airlines are working to restore schedules while minimizing inconvenience for passengers. The next 48 hours are critical to completing the software patching and resuming normal flight operations worldwide.