The issue is thought to affect 6,000 planes, which will need to undergo an urgent software update or have computers replaced.

Thousands of passenger planes are in need of an urgent update. Airbus has issued a major recall of A320 planes, warning intense solar storms could cause pilots to temporarily lose control.

Asian airlines scrambled on Saturday to fix a software glitch on their Airbus A320 jets as a sweeping recall by the European planemaker grounded aircraft across the region after disrupting travel in the U.

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.

FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines airplane takes off from New York's Laguardia Airport after the FAA ordered flight cuts at 40 major airports amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., November 7, 2025. REUTERS/Ryan Murphy/File Photo

One of the world’s largest airplane makers said Friday that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to flight controls on a “significant number” of its most popular aircraft, prompting a swift response from several airlines. Airbus attributed the revelation to a recent analysis involving its A320 family of aircraft.

A irbus has requested immediate modifications to thousands of aircraft after discovering that intense radiation from the sun could corrupt data crucial to flight controls. About 6,000 planes are thought to be affected, about half the European aerospace giant's global fleet, but it is understood most will be able to undergo a simple software update.

Major airlines face holiday disruptions as Airbus A320 aircraft require urgent software fixes, affecting American Airlines and Delta fleets nationwide.