Airbus A320 Recall Nears Completion After Solar Radiation Corrupts Flight‑Control Data

Overview

• European and U.S. regulators issued emergency directives requiring fixes before affected A320‑family jets could fly.
• Airlines updated more than 5,000 aircraft within hours, limiting disruptions as many fleets resumed normal operations.
• About 6,000 of roughly 11,300 in‑service A320‑family aircraft were flagged, with most receiving a quick software rollback and a smaller subset needing hardware changes.
• Operational impacts persisted in some markets, with Avianca suspending ticket sales through December 8 and ANA canceling dozens of flights, while carriers like Wizz Air and American reported rapid completion.
• The action followed an October 30 JetBlue incident linked to ELAC flight‑control data corruption attributed to intense solar radiation, prompting Airbus to apologize and coordinate fixes with authorities and suppliers.