About 100 Airbus A320 aircraft around the world are expected to be temporarily grounded to replace faulty control software, French Transport Minister Philippe Tabaro said on Saturday (29).
November 29
2025
– 07:15
(Updated at 7:54 a.m.)
“According to the latest information – and Airbus has not yet officially announced – everything indicates that the number of A320 aircraft affected for a long period will be much lower than feared,” the minister told BFMTV.
He added, “There was initially talk of up to a thousand planes. Now it seems that we are talking about a hundred planes.”
The European manufacturer on Friday asked all customers using software exposed to solar radiation to immediately suspend flights on affected A320 aircraft until the software is replaced or updated.
This measure was considered necessary after the accident that occurred on October 30, during a JetBlue flight between Cancun (Mexico) and Newark (USA). The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Tampa, Florida, after a sudden drop in altitude.
Most of the planes have already been repaired
Although about 6,000 aircraft are using the software in question, the vast majority of them have already undergone technical intervention between Friday and Saturday morning. According to Tabaro, more than 5,000 aircraft have already been upgraded as of Saturday morning.
The minister confirmed in an interview at Nice airport that “Airbus assumed its responsibilities and was completely transparent.”
Air France said on Saturday that it will be able to fly all its customers throughout the day, with the exception of some flights on the regional network in the Caribbean. EasyJet announced that it has not canceled any flights, as all of its A320 aircraft have already been upgraded.
With Agence France-Presse