Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Airbus has ordered immediate repairs on roughly 6,000 A320-family aircraft, marking what appears to be one of the largest recalls in the company’s 55-year history and causing disruption for flights worldwide.

The A320 family is the backbone of short- and medium-haul aviation in Saudi Arabia, with Saudia operating 64 aircraft, Flynas 66, and Flyadeal 45.

Industry sources note that not all jets will require the full procedure, but those that do must undergo a mandatory software recalibration expected to take around three hours per aircraft.

All three Saudi carriers issued advisories early Saturday, warning of potential schedule disruptions while emphasizing that safety remains their top priority.

Saudia said it was “monitoring and reviewing the updates received” and assessing possible adjustments to flight schedules in line with “global safety directives issued by Airbus.”

The airline confirmed that passengers on affected flights would be contacted directly and urged customers to ensure their contact details were up to date.

Flynas said in a 29 November notice that a “software and technical recalibration will be carried out for part of our fleet,” adding that the process could extend turnaround times and cause delays for “a limited number of flights.”

The carrier apologized for the inconvenience and said the measures form part of its “continuous commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards.”

Flyadeal said “several of our aircraft will be impacted” and that precautionary measures were already underway.

The airline expects operations to return to normal by Sunday though some flights may face delays or schedule changes.

Flyadeal confirmed that passengers will be contacted directly and offered rebooking options, adding that its teams are “working around the clock to minimize any impact on travel plans.”

Airbus issued the directive on Friday after identifying a software flaw affecting the system that calculates an aircraft’s elevation. Engineers say the data can become corrupted at high altitudes due to bursts of intense solar radiation, requiring an immediate fix before affected aircraft can resume normal operations.

In a statement early Saturday, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury acknowledged the global disruption triggered by the directive.

“The fix required on some A320 aircraft has been causing significant logistical challenges and delays since yesterday,” he said. “I want to sincerely apologise to our airline customers and passengers who are impacted now. But we consider that nothing is more important than safety when people fly on one of our Airbus aircraft.”

Faury said Airbus teams were working continuously to help airlines complete the updates and return aircraft to service “as swiftly as possible.”