American Airlines Completes Fixes for Airbus A320 Glitch as Global Disruptions Ease

American Airlines said Saturday that all 209 of its Airbus A320-series aircraft affected by a major software recall have now been updated and cleared to resume service. The company added it expects no further impact to Thanksgiving holiday travel, including Sunday, its busiest day.

The recall, issued by Airbus and aviation regulators, required immediate software fixes for 6,000 A320-family jets, more than half of the global narrow-body fleet. The emergency directive followed an Oct. 30 uncommanded pitch-down event on a JetBlue aircraft, prompting both the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. FAA to order urgent corrective action.

The issue quickly caused widespread disruptions. Airlines across Asia were hit especially hard, as the A320 family forms the backbone of short-haul travel in the region. Japan’s ANA Holdings canceled 95 flights, affecting more than 13,000 passengers, while Peach Aviation also faced operational challenges. In India, Air India said it had updated over 40 percent of affected jets with delays and rescheduling but no cancellations.

In Australia, Jetstar grounded 34 aircraft, canceling about 90 flights. By Saturday afternoon, 20 had returned to service, with the remaining updates expected overnight. Parent company Qantas, together with Jetstar, controls roughly 65 percent of the domestic market. Virgin Australia, with four A320s, was unaffected.

U.S. carriers saw more limited impact. United Airlines said six aircraft required the fix, causing only minor disruptions. Delta Air Lines said fewer than 50 of its A320s were affected.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury acknowledged the global strain, noting the fixes created “significant logistical challenges” as teams worked around the clock to bring fleets back online.

With American and many international carriers completing the updates, operations are gradually normalizing after one of the largest emergency directives in Airbus’ 55-year history.