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On November 28, 2025, a Latam Airlines Airbus A320 was parked on the tarmac at El Dorado Airport in Bogota, captured in a photograph by Sergio Yate for AFP via Getty Images.
A sudden directive from Airbus left thousands of travelers around the globe stranded, as the company ordered immediate software updates for 6,000 A320-series aircraft. This decision affected over half of the global narrow-body fleet, leading airlines to ground planes during one of the peak travel weekends of the year.
This unprecedented move, one of the largest in Airbus’s 55-year history, disrupted travel plans from the United States to Australia. The issues, attributed to solar flares, had a considerable impact in Asia, where the A320 series serves as a backbone for short-haul routes.
American Airlines, the largest operator of the A320 globally, disclosed to CNBC that 209 of its aircraft were affected by the recall, a reduction from the initial count of over 340. “As of 6 p.m. CT, American has under 150 aircraft left to update,” the airline reported.
“We anticipate that the vast majority of these updates will be completed today and overnight, with only a few remaining for tomorrow’s completion,” added American Airlines.
“We expect the overwhelming majority of those to be completed today and through the night, with only a handful remaining for completion tomorrow.”
United Airlines said six aircraft in its fleet were affected, and the carrier expected “minor disruption to a few flights.” Delta Air Lines said less than 50 of its Airbus A320 fleet were affected.
Japan’s ANA Holdings canceled 95 domestic flights Saturday, affecting around 13,200 passengers. The carrier, along with affiliates such as Peach Aviation, operates the country’s largest Airbus narrow-body fleet, while rival Japan Airlines relies mostly on Boeing aircraft.

Air India, which is partially owned by Singapore Airlines, said it had completed software updates on over 40% of its affected aircraft and that there were no flight cancellations, although some flights were delayed or rescheduled.
Scoot, another carrier under the Singapore Airlines group, said 21 of its 29 A320s required the fix and that it aimed to complete the work by Saturday.
In Australia, Jetstar Airways canceled around 90 flights after identifying 34 aircraft that required the software correction.
“As of 3:30 pm [local time], 20 of the 34 affected aircraft are ready to return to service. We’re expecting the remaining to be ready overnight, allowing flights to resume as planned on Sunday 30 November,” a Jetstar spokesperson told CNBC.
The budget airline and its parent company, Qantas, which is Australia’s national flag carrier, together hold about 65% of the domestic market. Rival Virgin Australia, which has four A320s in its fleet and a 35% share, said that it was unaffected by the recall.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a directive on Friday that a JetBlue flight on Oct. 30 experienced an “uncommanded and limited pitch down event.” The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also issued an emergency directive later that day, ordering operators of the affected model to address the glitch.
Airbus said it issued the order after it was revealed that “intense solar radiation” may have corrupted data critical to the functioning of flight controls.
Regulators warned that the issue could lead to “an uncommanded elevator movement” in the worst-case scenario.