Brussels: Airlines around the world are racing to update and repair thousands of Airbus A320 series aircraft after an urgent safety directive was issued this week. The action follows an incident involving a JetBlue flight in October, where the aircraft reportedly experienced a sudden loss of altitude linked to a possible software malfunction.

Investigators later suggested that strong solar radiation may have interfered with a flight control computer known as ELAC. This finding prompted European regulators to order airlines to roll back a recent software update and complete hardware checks on affected aircraft.

Airbus confirmed that nearly 6000 planes in the A320 family need the fix, making this one of the biggest maintenance actions in the company’s history. The A320 family includes the widely used A319, A320 and A321 passenger jets.

The update is expected to take about two hours per aircraft in most cases, although some planes will need additional hardware adjustments that may take longer. Airbus has said that aircraft cannot return to flying until the necessary repairs are completed.

Major airlines in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia are affected. American Airlines initially said that more than 300 of its aircraft needed the fix but later reduced that number after further checks. In Australia, Jetstar cancelled close to 90 flights on Friday after grounding 34 aircraft for inspection.

With the directive coinciding with a peak holiday travel season, passengers in many regions are already facing delays and cancellations. Aviation experts say disruptions could continue for several days as airlines adjust flight schedules and complete maintenance.

Regulators including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the United States Federal Aviation Administration are continuing to monitor the situation. Airbus has maintained that the recall is precautionary and that the aircraft remain safe to operate once the fix is applied.

Airlines are expected to prioritize repairs in the coming days to restore normal flight operations as quickly as possible.