## Author's Summary
Thousands of popular Airbus A320-series planes worldwide require urgent software fixes to prevent pilots from losing control amid intense solar storms, following an incident last month that injured passengers and forced an emergency landing; repairs take about two hours per aircraft. (168 characters)
### Key Issue
Thousands of the world's most common passenger jets face an urgent maintenance need. This stems from a flaw exposed during severe solar activity, like flares, which can disrupt fly-by-wire systems on Airbus A320 family planes (A319, A320, A321). Around 6,000 single-aisle aircraft, the top-selling models globally, must get updated.
### Incident Background
> Airbus found intense solar storms, like solar flares, could cause pilots to lose control of the Airbus A320 series of planes, including A319, A320, and A321s.
The problem led to passenger injuries and an emergency landing last month. Airbus issued an “Alert Operators Transmission” on Friday after investigating, noting it as a rare event but prioritizing safety through collaboration with authorities.
### Repair Details
An EU airworthiness directive mandates fixes before passenger flights resume. Most aircraft can be updated in roughly two hours by reverting to prior software. Airlines like American (340 planes) aim to finish by Sunday, expecting minor delays but few cancellations.
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CNN on MSN — 2025-11-29