Jetstar Airways cancelled 90 domestic and international services over the weekend after Airbus ordered an immediate software rollback on thousands of A320-family jets worldwide. The directive followed a 30 October pitch-control incident on a JetBlue flight in the United States that investigators linked to a recent software update.
The Australian low-cost carrier said 34 of its 85 Airbus narrow-bodies required the two-hour fix, with 20 aircraft back in service by Saturday afternoon. Disruptions spilled into Sunday, with customers offered fee-free rebooking or refunds. Qantas and Virgin Australia were unaffected, while Air New Zealand pulled 12 flights but kept trans-Tasman routes intact.
![Jetstar grounds 34 Airbus A320s after global software recall, cancelling 90 flights]()
Airbus insists the issue poses “no immediate safety risk” but moved swiftly after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned that uncorrected software could lead to “uncommanded elevator movement”. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is monitoring Australian compliance but has not issued additional directives.
For corporate mobility managers the case is a reminder to cross-check fleet types when scheduling time-critical travel. The episode also highlights growing cyber-physical dependencies in modern aircraft and the need for airlines to maintain robust patch-management regimes.
The Australian low-cost carrier said 34 of its 85 Airbus narrow-bodies required the two-hour fix, with 20 aircraft back in service by Saturday afternoon. Disruptions spilled into Sunday, with customers offered fee-free rebooking or refunds. Qantas and Virgin Australia were unaffected, while Air New Zealand pulled 12 flights but kept trans-Tasman routes intact.
Airbus insists the issue poses “no immediate safety risk” but moved swiftly after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned that uncorrected software could lead to “uncommanded elevator movement”. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is monitoring Australian compliance but has not issued additional directives.
For corporate mobility managers the case is a reminder to cross-check fleet types when scheduling time-critical travel. The episode also highlights growing cyber-physical dependencies in modern aircraft and the need for airlines to maintain robust patch-management regimes.
