Global Flight Chaos: Airbus Recalls 6,000 A320 Jets for Urgent Solar Radiation Flight Control Fix

European aerospace giant Airbus has issued an urgent directive for a major software and, in some cases, hardware fix on its narrow-body A320 family aircraft, affecting over half of the global fleet (approximately 6,000 jets). This unprecedented global recall was triggered by an investigation into a mid-air incident on October 30, where a JetBlue A320 experienced an uncommanded pitch-down.

The core issue was traced to the Elevator Aileron Computer (ELAC), where intense solar radiation was found to have the potential to corrupt critical flight-control data. This vulnerability could lead to uncommanded elevator movements, risking a loss of control or exceeding the aircraft's structural limits.

The corrective action requires airlines to perform immediate software rollbacks or, for older jets, hardware replacement before the aircraft's next flight. This compliance mandate, reinforced by an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), has forced significant groundings, flight cancellations, and delays across major global carriers, severely disrupting air travel, especially during peak travel periods.