AIRBUS: A320 software glitch triggers Jetstar chaos at Australian airports and internationally
If you turned up at an airport this morning expecting a routine Jetstar hop to Melbourne, Hobart or Adelaide, chances are you walked straight into a scene that looked more like the chaos of Boxing Day sales. Airports were filled with long queues, cancelled flights, confused announcements, and a whole lot of orange tailfins sitting very still on the tarmac.
Overnight, Airbus warned global operators of a critical software glitch affecting more than half of its A320 fleet worldwide. That’s a recall of around 6,000 aircraft. Jetstar, the main A320 operator in Australia, has been hit hardest, with cancellations and delays spreading across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Australia is not the only country affected. You wouldn’t want to be American Airlines at the moment that flys the largest A320 fleet in the world at over 480 aircraft. American Airlines says about 340 of its A320-family aircraft will require the software update fix.
How it unfolded: a midnight recall and an early-morning meltdown
Jetstar flights began cancelling before dawn, catching travellers unaware and leaving airport terminals clogged with passengers trying to figure out whether they were going anywhere at all today. Sydney’s Terminal 2 was apparently heaving by mid-morning, while social media was filled with videos of long queues, scrums around service desks and plenty of passengers getting their 10,000 steps before breakfast.
Jetstar says it’s acting on a ‘precautionary action’ from Airbus and insists safety is the first priority. The airline is rebooking customers “as quickly as possible”, but the sheer scale of the disruption means delays may continue through the weekend.
Perth Airport has warned travellers to triple-check their flight status before leaving home. Melbourne Airport — already dealing with the knock-on chaos of Friday night’s terminal evacuation — has urged Jetstar passengers to stay glued to updates.
Who’s affected — and who isn’t?
Jetstar is the big one. Its Australian A320 fleet is grounded or operating under restrictions while updates are rolled out. Air New Zealand has also cancelled a dozen flights, while Cebu Pacific — popular with travellers heading to the Philippines — has confirmed it will be disrupted for at least two days.
Virgin Australia, by contrast, operates just four A320s, all in its regional WA operation, and says it expects to cover any issues with its Boeing 737 fleet. Qantas also uses some A320s in Western Australia but says those aircraft aren’t affected. For now, red-kangaroo operations remain largely untouched.
But globally, this is huge. Airbus says it has issued orders for immediate software fixes on around 6,000 aircraft. That makes it one of the largest recalls in Airbus history history. American Airlines has grounded about 70 per cent of its A320 fleet, and Colombia’s Avianca has shut ticket sales until December 8.
IndiGo, easyJet and Lufthansa also expect short-term disruptions as they cycle their fleets through updates.
What caused all this? Blame the sun
Airbus says the issue stems from a recent in-flight incident where intense solar radiation appears to have corrupted flight-control data on an A320. The event involved a JetBlue flight from Cancun to Newark last month, during which a sudden altitude drop injured several passengers and forced a diversion.
The aircraft landed safely, and US regulators are now investigating. But the scare has triggered Airbus to examine thousands of aircraft for similar vulnerabilities.
By late Saturday morning, some operators — including Air New Zealand — had received permission from Airbus to continue flying until 10.59 am AEDT while applying rapid software patches. Expect rolling delays as crews work through updates and maintenance approvals.
What travellers should do
If you’re flying Jetstar, check your flight status before leaving the house. If you’re already at the airport, assume delays will be fluid and rebooking queues will be long. Jetstar says affected customers are being contacted directly, but many travellers are reporting that the airline’s app and website are updating slowly.
Passengers heading to the Philippines on Cebu Pacific or to New Zealand on Air NZ should check status updates frequently over the next 48 hours, as schedules may be adjusted throughout the day.
Airbus has indicated that flights may resume progressively as software patches are applied, meaning the situation could improve or swing wildly throughout the weekend.
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2PAXfly Takeout
Airline IT dramas are nothing new — but a global recall of the world’s most widely flown narrow-body jet is another level entirely. Jetstar has borne the brunt locally, and its customers will be feeling the pain all weekend. Virgin and Qantas appear lucky to escape significant impact, but the ripple effect across international connections may still flow into next week.
For travellers, the best strategy is old-school: check before you leave, have a Plan B, and bring patience. A recall of this scale is rare, and while Airbus and the airlines will work quickly to patch the issue, any aircraft operating at 6 am isn’t magically fixed at 10am.
Finally, don’t lose your cool, or be rude to airline staff. They will be doing all they can to sort this. Be kind.
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