Thanksgiving flight disruptions: 6,000 Airbus jets grounded due to flight-control issue

Amid a spree of Thanksgiving festivities, coupled with the frenzied holiday season across the US, Thanksgiving flights are facing disruptions as airlines worldwide have announced flight delays and cancellations.

These flight disruptions followed an urgent directive from Airbus affecting its A320 family aircraft.

Why are thousands of Airbus planes grounded?

The Airbus flight disruption episode was purportedly prompted by a flight-control issue linked to intense solar radiation, putting around 6,000 jets—nearly half of Airbus's global fleet— in need of software and hardware updates.

Most planes require a simple software update, but regulators in the UK and other countries warn that these fixes could disrupt flights during this busy travel period, as reported by Gulf News.

American Airlines has grounded about 480 A320-family planes, with 209 requiring updates expected to take around two hours each.

Similarly, the Airbus' solar radiation phenomenon affected fewer than 50 A321neo aircraft of Delta airline, while United Airlines flagged six planes needing minor updates. In the Philippines, Cebu Pacific cancelled select flights on November 29 due to mandatory software upgrades.

In the UAE, the General Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that national airlines are undergoing safety inspections in compliance with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s directive, in a bid to prevent further disruptions.

As airlines are striving to address these updates, passengers, particularly in the US, are advised to check their flight status regularly. Cebu Pacific is offering flexible options for affected passengers, including free rebooking or full refunds.

With the Thanksgiving holiday travel season underway, the situation is fluctuating, and further updates from airlines are expected to emerge as they continue to address these challenges.