Europe-based Airbus has mandated an urgent software upgrade for its A320 family aircraft, affecting approximately 6,000 planes worldwide. In India, more than 350 aircraft operated by IndiGo and Air India will be grounded for two to three days to implement this update, causing significant disruptions across domestic and international flight schedules.

The directive follows a safety incident involving a JetBlue A320 jet, which prompted regulators and Airbus to conduct an in-depth review of the A320’s flight-control software. Airbus identified a potential vulnerability where intense solar radiation could corrupt crucial flight data, necessitating immediate corrective action to ensure aircraft safety.

This large-scale recall is one of Airbus’s most extensive in its 55-year history and involves a software downgrade to a previous stable version. Airlines must complete the repair before aircraft can return to passenger service, except for repositioning flights to maintenance centres to facilitate the updates.

In India, IndiGo’s fleet comprises mostly new A320 variants, with roughly 250 planes scheduled for updates by Monday or Tuesday. Air India, operating around 104 A320s including recently retrofitted and newly delivered aircraft, plans to complete modifications on over 100 planes within the same period. Both carriers have warned passengers of possible delays and longer turnaround times during the transition.

Globally, the grounding will affect operators across the United States, Europe, South America, India, and New Zealand. The U.S.–based American Airlines expects to ground and repair about 340 of its 480 A320s, allocating around two hours per software update. Other major carriers—including Lufthansa, easyJet, and Avianca—are also implementing temporary groundings, with Avianca suspending ticket sales for certain dates until early December.

The timing of the recall is unfortunate, coinciding with one of the busiest travel periods of the year and exacerbating ongoing delays across the aviation industry. Repair centres are already under strain due to engine inspections and labour shortages, which may protract the update process and increase operational challenges for airlines.

Industry analysts note that this issue arises shortly after the A320 overtook Boeing 737 as the world’s most-delivered commercial aircraft, highlighting the scale of impact the recall may have on global air travel.

Passengers are advised to check with airlines for schedule updates and prepare for possible disruptions in the days ahead as this critical software upgrade is implemented worldwide.

Agencies