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Saturday 29 Nov 2025
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An Airbus A320neo takes off for its first test flight at Toulouse-Blagnac airport, southwestern France, in 2014. (Photo/Frederic Lancelot/AP)
Europe's Airbus has ordered immediate repairs to 6,000 of its widely used A320 jets in a sweeping recall affecting more than half the global fleet, threatening upheaval during the busiest travel weekend of the year in the US and sparking disruption worldwide.
According to an Airbus bulletin seen by Reuters, the fix involves reverting to earlier software and must be completed before the aircraft can operate again.
Airlines said the requirement is likely to cause delays and cancellations across multiple regions.
Türkiye’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, said it had launched the required procedures on eight A320-family aircraft after Airbus issued the software update.
Yahya Ustun, senior vice president of communications, said on X that the planes would be "safely returned to service" once the airline completed the steps required by the alert notice.
He said all operations were continuing safely and that the carrier was following guidance from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and cooperating with Airbus on the necessary updates.
Anticipated delays
American Airlines, the largest operator of A320 aircraft, said the update would affect the majority of its fleet and expected to complete most fixes within two hours per plane.
European and Asian carriers also reported anticipated delays, with some warning that the disruption could last several days.
Several operators described the recall as "significant", noting the scale of the maintenance work and the immediate grounding of affected aircraft.
Air France-KLM said it had already cancelled dozens of flights following Airbus’s notice, while major carriers in Latin America, India and the Pacific region confirmed operational setbacks as they began installing the required software changes.
Some airlines temporarily suspended ticket sales or adjusted schedules to manage the impact.
In New Zealand and parts of South America, carriers warned of cancellations into the weekend as A320neo aircraft undergo mandatory updates before returning to service.
Others said the recall required both software and hardware adjustments that would increase turnaround times.
Many airlines said they had already begun applying the mitigation measures and expected to restore normal operations quickly.
Some carriers, including United Airlines and Brazil’s Azul, said their fleets were not affected.
The widespread disruption underscores the global reliance on the A320 family, one of the most widely used single-aisle aircraft in commercial aviation.
Operators said they were coordinating with Airbus and regulatory authorities to complete the updates as quickly as possible, but cautioned that the short-notice directive would continue to affect services into the coming days.
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Source: TRT
