Flight operations were disrupted around the world on Saturday as Airbus ordered a sweeping recall of aircraft. Immediate repairs have been ordered before 6,000 of its widely used A320 family of jets can fly again — triggering an avalanche of cancellation and delay announcements from across the world. Multiple Indian airlines have also issued advisories and warned that instructions from Airbus could lead to a “longer turnaround”.
According to the company, a recent incident had revealed that solar flares may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. Industry sources told Reuters that a JetBlue flight from Mexico to the United States had needed unexpected repair action — with several passengers hurt following a sharp loss of altitude. The aircraft had made an emergency landing in Florida after the flight control problem and a sudden un-commanded drop in altitude. The Federal Aviation Administration had also launched an investigation into the matter.
Are Indian airlines affected?
“Safety comes first. Always. Airbus has issued a technical advisory for the global A320 fleet. We are proactively completing the mandated updates on our aircraft with full diligence and care, in line with all safety protocols. While we work through these precautionary updates, some flights may see some slight schedule changes,” warned IndiGo via X.
“We are aware of a directive from Airbus related to its A320 family aircraft currently in-service across airline operators. This will result in a software/hardware realignment on a part of our fleet, leading to longer turnaround time and delays to our scheduled operations,” added Air India.
Fleet details: Do Indian carriers own Airbus A320 planes?
There are approximately 11,300 A320-family jets in operation across the world — including 6,440 of the core A320 model. Multiple Indian airlines fall within this category with hundreds of Airbus planes in their fleet. Both Air India and IndiGo have issued advisories following the announcement and warned of major disruptions. SpiceJet remains largely unaffected with mostly Boeing and the Bombardier-developed Q400 in its fleet.
According to the latest quarterly financial results shared by Interglobe Aviation, IndiGo owns or leases 80 A320neo, 26 A320ceo, 153 A321neo, 47 ATR and three A321 freighter planes at the end of September 2025.
Air India had announced the successful completion of the retrofit programme for its legacy A320neo fleet on November 11— with the final of 27 aircraft returning to service with brand-new cabin interiors and in the airline’s vibrant new livery. A press release from the company revealed earlier this month that the airline now operated 104 A320 Family aircraft featuring new or upgraded cabin interiors. This includes the retrofitted planes as well as 14 newly delivered A320neo aircraft, and those integrated following the merger of Vistara into Air India.
