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Airbus Grounds 6,000 Planes as Software Glitch Wreaks Havoc

In a major operational setback for the European planemaker, Airbus has been forced to ground over 6,000 of its aircraft globally due to an urgent software update required across its A320 family. The issue, caused by intense solar radiation that can disrupt critical flight control data, has already led to thousands of flight cancellations and threatens to snarl air travel for months.

The software flaw, disclosed by Airbus in a statement, requires airlines to update the onboard systems of their A320 jets before they can resume operations. This grounding of over a quarter of the global A320 fleet, one of the world's most popular narrow-body aircraft, comes at a time when the aviation industry was starting to recover from the pandemic.

Analysts warn the disruption could have far-reaching consequences, with delays and cancellations rippling across global flight networks. "This is a nightmare scenario for airlines and passengers," said Oliver Reynolds, an aviation consultant at FocusEconomics. "Airbus will be under immense pressure to resolve this issue as quickly as possible, but the logistics of updating thousands of aircraft worldwide is a massive undertaking."

The news comes just as China Airlines, Taiwan's flag carrier, announced a $7.8 billion order for 30 A321neo jets and 20 A320neo aircraft. The deal underscores continued strong demand for Airbus' popular narrow-body models, which have outsold rival Boeing's 737 in recent years. However, the grounding may force China Airlines and other carriers to delay or reschedule deliveries.

Airbus, which has grappled with supply chain snarls and labor shortages, now faces the daunting task of working with airlines to get planes back in the air. The company said it is "fully committed to supporting customers" and is providing detailed technical instructions to facilitate the software updates.

The incident is a major blow to Airbus' reputation for reliability, just as it was accelerating production to meet surging post-pandemic travel demand. Investors will be watching closely to see how quickly the company can resolve the issue and limit the damage to its operations and finances.