The affected aircraft need a systems update before they can fly again.
Airbus issued the alert after analysis of a flight involving an A320 aircraft showed “intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls”.
It is understood the incident that triggered the warning involved a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark on 30 October.
That flight was diverted to Tampa International Airport after it suffered a flight control issue and experienced a sharp loss of altitude, which injured at least 15 passengers.
An Airbus spokesperson told Sky News the software change would affect up to 6,000 planes.
The fix involves A320 aircraft reverting to an earlier software version and Airbus stressed it would only take two to three hours for most planes.
However, it said some jets would also need new hardware and therefore would be affected for longer. Industry sources estimated about 1,000 aircraft could be in this position.
America’s aviation watchdog has issued an emergency order to immediately replace or modify the software, mirroring one from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
‘Very concerning’
Gatwick said a “small number” of carriers based there were affected, but warned disruption was still possible. It urged passengers to contact their airline.
Heathrow said it wasn’t expecting any disruption.
“The good news is it seems the impact on UK airlines seems limited, with a smaller number of aircraft requiring more complex software and hardware changes,” said Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.
She said it was “heartening this issue has been identified and will be addressed so swiftly”.
Airbus is understood to have traced the issue to the ELAC (Elevator and Aileron Computer) system, which sends commands to elevators on the plane’s tail. These in turn control the aircraft’s pitch or nose angle.
Travel expert Simon Calder said the situation was “very concerning” but stressed “aviation remains extraordinarily safe”.
He warned customers might not be entitled to compensation if they’re delayed as the issue would be considered out of airlines’ control.
Read more:
Which airlines are affected by Airbus disruption?
Why plane’s altitude drop led to thousands needing updates
What have airlines said?
EasyJet said it had already completed the software update on many aircraft and was working closely with safety authorities.
“We plan to operate our flying programme normally on Saturday and ask that customers travelling continue to monitor their flights on flight tracker,” it added.
The airline said passengers would be informed of any changes by email, SMS, or the flight tracker
British Airways said it wasn’t expecting any problems and that only three of its planes were affected.
For American Airlines – the world’s largest operator of the A320 – the issue was more significant, with 209 aircraft needing an update.
It comes on a huge travel weekend stateside as many travel home after Thanksgiving. However, the US carrier said the fix would be completed for the vast majority of its planes on Friday.
Japan’s All Nippon Airways cancelled 65 domestic flights for Saturday, Air France said it was cancelling 35 flights, while Aer Lingus said a limited number of aircraft were impacted.
Wizz Air said it had already scheduled the software update but that some of its weekend flights could be affected.
“Passengers who booked directly with Wizz Air via the website or mobile app will be notified of any schedule changes,” the airline said.
