Airbus on Friday ordered immediate repairs across thousands of its A320-family aircraft, affecting major carriers including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
The order affects roughly 6,000 jets, making it one of the largest recalls in the European aerospace giant’s history. The directive also comes amid the busiest travel weekend of the year in the U.S., according to Reuters.
“Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls,” Airbus said in a statement. “Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted.”
The recall was triggered by an Oct. 30 JetBlue flight traveling from Cancun to New Jersey that was forced to divert to Tampa after a sudden drop in altitude left several passengers injured, according to Reuters.
