European manufacturer orders immediate software fix amid peak holiday travel; recall linked to solar radiation corrupting flight control data.
Airbus has ordered an immediate software change on approximately 6,000 of its A320-family aircraft following a flight control incident attributed to solar radiation corrupting critical flight data.
The European manufacturer issued an Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) on Friday requiring affected aircraft to implement the fix before their next routine flight. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a corresponding Emergency Airworthiness Directive mandating compliance.
The recall was triggered by a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, on 30 October. Flight 1230 made an emergency landing at Tampa, Florida, after a flight control problem and a sudden uncommanded drop in altitude, with several passengers injured.
EASA stated that the aircraft “experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch down event” during which “the autopilot remained engaged throughout the event, with a brief and limited loss of altitude.”
#EASA has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) for the @Airbus A320 family. This may unfortunately cause disruption to flight schedules and inconvenience to passengers. As is always the case in aviation, safety is paramount. https://t.co/Kh73onP2ZO
— EASA (@EASA) November 28, 2025
Airbus stated that “a recent incident involving an A320-family aircraft had revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.”
Airbus update on A320 Family precautionary fleet action
— Airbus Newsroom (@AirbusPRESS) November 28, 2025
➡️ https://t.co/Rf1J0atSi3
The technical bulletin traced the problem to a flight system called ELAC (elevator and aileron computer), which sends commands from the pilot’s side-stick to elevators at the rear, controlling the aircraft’s pitch or nose angle.
The ELAC manufacturer, France’s Thales, stated that the computer complies with Airbus specifications and that the software functionality in question is not under Thales’s responsibility.
For approximately two-thirds of the affected jets, the repair requires reverting to a previous software version, taking about two hours per aircraft. However, more than 1,000 affected jets may also require hardware changes, resulting in longer waits.
American Airlines, the world’s largest A320 operator, confirmed that approximately 340 of its 480 A320 aircraft require the software replacement. The airline later clarified to Reuters that after further communication from Airbus, 209 of its aircraft are affected.
United Airlines stated it was not affected by the recall. Delta Air Lines confirmed fewer than 50 A321neo aircraft in its fleet are impacted.
In India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered airlines to halt all Airbus A320 flights until they complete the required modifications. Japan’s ANA cancelled 65 flights on Saturday due to the recall. Colombia’s Avianca closed ticket sales for travel dates through 8 December, stating the recall affected more than 70 percent of its fleet.
There are approximately 11,300 A320-family aircraft in operation globally. The recall affects roughly 6,000 jets spanning several variants, making it among the largest mass recalls in Airbus’s 55-year history.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has not issued public comment. JetBlue has not issued public comment regarding the October incident.
