Last Updated: 4:30 PM EST NOV 28 2025 by Annie Flodin
European airplane manufacturer Airbus has taken precautionary fleet action for the hugely popular A320 family of aircraft. It appears that after a recent event, intense solar radiation could have corrupted data that is critical to the operation of flight controls.
Subsequently, Airbus has identified that a large number of A320 aircraft in operation around the globe may be impacted by the corrupted data; thus is now actively working with aviation authorities to briefly ground aircraft to have them revert to previous software versions. This specifically relates to the core A320 model.
American Airlines Provides Updates On Its A320 Fleet
Friday, November 28, 4:30 PM EST
According to Reuters, American Airlines says it expects some delays due to the issue, noting that it affects roughly 340 of its airplanes. The airline also said it anticipates the updates to be complete within a day or so. Additionally, according to reports by JonNYC via X, about 80 American airplanes are already out of service.
An Emergency Airworthiness Directive
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is to issue an airworthiness directive, which, paired with aviation authorities around the globe, could see widespread disruption for one of the world’s most popular aircraft types. It is expected that this will directly affect more than 6,000 jets.
For approximately two-thirds of these jets, they will need to be grounded temporarily to reinstall a previous software version. For the remaining aircraft, it may be required that they need to have their hardware changed completely, which could see these planes grounded for weeks, hampering airlines’ operations in the lead up to one of hte busiest times for travel this year. Airbus released this statement on their website:
Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and will work closely with operators, while keeping safety as our number one and overriding priority.
Airbus Working Proactively With Aviation Authorities
Airbus continues to work with aviation authorities to ensure this immediate request for precautionary action is implemented, for airlines to ground affected A320 aircraft to implement available software, or in extreme cases, hardware protection, before ensuring the fleet is safe to fly.
Currently, there are approximately 11,300 of the A320 family in operation with airlines around the world. This includes operators such as large airlines like easyJet, 
Lufthansa, Frontier Airlines, 
American Airlines, United Airlines, Wizzair, AirAsia, IndiGo, and Qatar Airways. The directive is specific to the A320 core model, of which, according to Airbus, has more than 6,440 active. WizzAir has already released a statement to Simple Flying on the precautionary action, warning passengers that there could be schedule affected over this weekend:
Wizz Air confirms that some of its aircraft are among the more than 6,500 Airbus A320 family aircraft worldwide that require a software update, as recently identified by the aircraft manufacturer. Wizz Air has already immediately scheduled the necessary maintenance to ensure full compliance with the identified mitigation.
Airbus has acknowledged that the corrupted data caused by intense solar radiation, and subsequent grounding of Airbus A320 aircraft, will lead to significant disruption to the global airline fleet; however, with the priority that safety is the number one focus, the aircraft manufacturer will deploy and work closely with all operators to resolve this issue.
It is expected that airlines that operate an all A320 fleet will be the most affected by the directive, and these updates and inspections will lead to flight delays, cancellations, or possible rescheduling of current travel plans.
JetBlue Passengers Injured After Airbus A320 Loses Altitude Inflight
A midair plummet leaves three hospitalized.
Solar Radiation In Aviation
Solar radiation is a term that relates to the radiant energy produced by the sun, which has an impact on aircraft, with the possibility of increased radiation exposure for aircraft operating at high altitudes. According to Skybrary.aero, around half of this energy is visible while the other half is near-infrared or ultraviolet.
This energy is the source that drives several systems on the earth; however, also can also cause disruptions to communication or navigation systems. Solar radiation can disrupt global GPS signals, which could lead to delays or groundings of aircraft as they compensate for the loss of data. Additionally, pilots and crew are frequently exposed to direct sun exposure, which can be quite intense for those in the cockpit at various times of the day.
The aviation industry addresses solar radiation exposure by monitoring space weather and taking necessary precautions, such as route adjustments during high-intensity solar events. This is especially vital on polar routes, which see higher levels of exposure.
What triggered the global review and directive for this was following a JetBlue flight between Cancun and Newark, where the aircraft experienced a sudden altitude drop, injuring three passengers, and a violent loss of control. Previous reports of hte incident noted the flight was calm, when all of a sudden the plane jerked, and dived for around 30 seconds. Data from FlightAware identifies the plane dropped from 35,000 to 18,000 feet within five minutes.