For its part, British Airways clarified: “We do not expect the Airbus crisis to affect our operations,” explaining that only three aircraft in its fleet are affected by the “Airbus” crisis.
Saudi companies’ moves
In a related context, Saudi airlines have taken urgent steps to avoid any potential impact on flight schedules.
Saudi Airlines confirmed that, based on global safety guidelines issued by Airbus regarding the A320 aircraft fleet worldwide, “Saudi” is monitoring and reviewing the incoming updates to assess any potential impact on flight schedules.
Saudi Airlines also indicated that if these updates require any adjustments, affected passengers will be contacted directly.
For its part, flynas has recalibrated the technical software for part of its fleet, which will lead to an increase in preparation time between a limited number of flights, and therefore will be accompanied by some delays in the operating schedule, according to what it stated in a statement via X.
In the same context, flyadeal confirmed that, based on Airbus’s instructions regarding A320 aircraft, a number of its aircraft will be affected by this, and clarified that it has begun taking the necessary precautionary measures by resetting the software and technical standards, and expects the full operating schedule to return to normal by Sunday, November 30, 2025.
flyadeal explained in a statement published via X: “Some flights will experience changes or delays, and affected travelers will be contacted directly via email and text messages, with full support and rebooking options provided. Our teams are working around the clock to minimize any impact on travel plans.”
The world’s largest operator of “A320” aircraft
American Airlines, the world’s largest operator of A320 aircraft, announced that approximately 340 of its 480 A320 aircraft need repair, and added that it expects to complete these repairs by Saturday, and that each aircraft will take approximately two hours.
Other airlines have announced that they will take their aircraft out of service briefly for repairs, including Lufthansa of Germany, IndiGo of India, and easyJet.
Colombian airline Avianca stated that the recall affected more than 70% of its fleet, or about 100 aircraft, causing significant disruption over the next ten days and forcing the company to halt ticket sales until December 8.
There are approximately 11,300 A320 family aircraft currently in operation. For about two-thirds of the affected aircraft, the recall will theoretically lead to a short-term stop, as airlines will return to the previous software version, according to industry sources.
Half of the global fleet
European Airbus announced that it had ordered immediate repairs to six thousand of its widely used A320 aircraft, in a comprehensive recall operation affecting more than half of the global fleet, which could cause disruptions during the busiest travel weekend in the United States.
This development appears to be among the largest recalls in Airbus’s 55-year history, and comes weeks after the A320 surpassed the Boeing 737 as the model with the largest number of aircraft delivered. At the time Airbus issued its directives, there were approximately three thousand A320 family aircraft in the air.
According to a bulletin addressed to airlines, the repair mainly involves returning to the previous software, but it must be implemented before the aircraft can fly again.
Airbus said a recent incident involving an A320 family aircraft revealed that sunlight could corrupt data important to the operation of flight controls. Industry sources said the incident that led to the unexpected repair involved a JetBlue flight from Mexico to New Jersey on October 30, in which a number of passengers were injured after a sharp loss of altitude.
That flight made an emergency landing in Florida after a flight control problem and a sudden, uncommanded loss of altitude, prompting a Federal Aviation Administration investigation.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an emergency directive late Friday requiring the repair, and the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to follow suit.
Sources said the temporary flight stoppage for repairs for some airlines could be much longer because more than a thousand of the affected aircraft may also have to have hardware changes, sources said.
The computer manufacturer, French company Thales, said that the computer complies with Airbus specifications and that the function in question is supported by software that is not within Thales’s responsibilities.
