Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on Saturday that he is collaborating closely with Airbus and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as airlines expedite emergency software repairs on a significant number of aircraft. In a statement on social media platform X, Duffy assured travelers that only a small fraction of planes nationwide require the urgent updates and stressed that major disruptions are not anticipated.
“Working with my team and the [FAA], U.S. carriers jumped into action to complete these updates quickly with minimal disruptions,” Duffy stated. He highlighted that all affected U.S. airlines are making substantial progress and are expected to meet the Sunday midnight deadline for completing the necessary repairs.
Airbus recently initiated immediate repairs for 6,000 A320-family aircraft, impacting major airlines such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. This action represents one of the largest recalls in Airbus’s history, coinciding with one of the busiest travel weekends of the year in the United States.
Airbus’s recall follows an incident on October 30 involving a JetBlue flight from Cancun to New Jersey that required diversion to Tampa due to a sudden altitude drop that resulted in injuries to several passengers. The company stated that “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.” Consequently, a significant number of A320 Family aircraft in service have been identified as potentially affected.
The repair process includes reverting aircraft to a previous software version, which must be completed before the planes can resume flying. American Airlines reported that approximately 340 of its 480 A320-family jets would need the update, with most repairs anticipated to be finished by Saturday. The airline noted that each update takes roughly two hours per aircraft.
Delta Air Lines confirmed that fewer than 50 of its A321neo aircraft were affected and expected all updates to be completed by Saturday morning. The airline emphasized its commitment to safety and compliance with the directive, projecting limited operational impact.
United Airlines indicated that only six of its planes were impacted, expecting minor disruptions to some flights. The A320-family aircraft are operated by several of the world’s largest airlines, including Lufthansa, IndiGo, and easyJet, which have also grounded affected planes to facilitate repairs.
In a related move, Colombian carrier Avianca has temporarily paused ticket sales for travel until December 8, as over 70% of its fleet is impacted by the recall. JetBlue has not yet commented on the situation.
As airlines navigate this challenging situation during a peak travel season, ongoing collaboration among industry stakeholders and government officials ensures that passenger safety remains a top priority. Travelers can take comfort in knowing that significant measures are being undertaken to uphold flight safety standards during this busy holiday season.