SCHIPHOL-RIJK (dpa-AFX) - Airbus, a subsidiary of Airbus SE (AIR.PA), has issued an urgent software recall for its A320-family aircraft after a recent in-flight incident revealed that intense solar radiation could corrupt data used by flight-control systems.
The recall affects an estimated 6,000 jets, more than half of all A320-series aircraft in service worldwide, making it one of the largest corrective actions ever undertaken by the manufacturer.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is preparing an emergency airworthiness directive, and Airbus has acknowledged that the fix will cause operational disruption for airlines and passengers. Around two-thirds of affected aircraft will face short groundings while operators revert to an earlier software version, but hundreds of jets may require hardware replacements that could sideline them for weeks. The timing is especially disruptive as airlines approach the busiest U.S. travel weekend of the year.
The issue was identified after a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark on October 30 experienced a sudden altitude drop linked to a flight-control fault, forcing an emergency diversion to Tampa, where multiple passengers required medical attention. Airbus says about 11,300 A320-family aircraft are currently in operation globally, including roughly 6,440 core A320 models.
AIR.PA currently trades at €204.45, or 0.15% higher on the Euronext Paris.
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