MW Airbus says some jets face issues stemming from 'intense solar radiation.' U.S. airlines say it won't be a huge flight disruption.
By Bill Peters
American says it expects 'some delays' but a quick fix. Delta predicts 'limited' impact. United says it's not affected.
Airbus said intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls on A320 jets.
European jet-maker Airbus on Friday said that a "significant number" of its A320 aircraft could be affected by a technical issue stemming from solar radiation, raising the risk of flight disruptions during the busy holiday-travel season, although major U.S. carriers tried to downplay the impact.
"Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls," Airbus, one of the world's major builders of passenger airplanes, said in a statement.
"Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted," the statement continued.
The company added that it had worked with aviation authorities to request precautionary action to incorporate software and hardware protection to ensure the planes are safe to fly. But it added that "these recommendations will lead to operational disruptions to passengers and customers."
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said Friday that an Airbus A320 jet "recently experienced an uncommanded and limited pitch down event. The autopilot remained engaged throughout the event, with a brief and limited loss of altitude, and the rest of the flight was uneventful."
The agency said that a preliminary technical evaluation by Airbus found a computer malfunction may have contributed to that incident.
It added: "This condition, if not corrected, could lead in the worst-case scenario to an uncommanded elevator movement that may result in exceeding the aircraft's structural capability."
Among the major U.S. airlines, American Airlines Group $(AAL)$ said it was taking steps to address the software issue, and said it expected a fix in the vast majority of its aircraft to be complete Friday and Saturday. But it added that some delays were likely.
"Though we expect some delays as we accomplish these updates, we are intently focused on limiting cancellations - especially with customers returning home from holiday travel," the carrier said in a statement.
The airline said there was "no indication" of any similar in-flight disruptions happening on its own A320 jets. It said it had around 480 A320 planes. Around 340 of those were initially identified as needing the software replacement, it said, but added that the total number of jets affected would likely be lower.
United Airlines Holdings Inc. $(UAL)$, in a statement, said it was "not affected" by Airbus' announcement. Delta Air Lines Inc. $(DAL)$ said it expected the issue to apply to a "small portion" of its Airbus A320s - or less than 50 A321neo aircraft - and said it expects "any resulting operational impact to be limited."
JetBlue Airways Corp. $(JBLU)$ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
-Bill Peters
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November 28, 2025 16:49 ET (21:49 GMT)
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