Airbus says most of its recalled A320 jets now modified

Airbus fleets were returning towards normal operations on Monday after the European planemaker pushed through abrupt software changes faster than expected, as it wrestled with safety headlines long focused on rival Boeing. The European plane maker on Friday ordered immediate repairs to its widely used family of jets due to a flight-control software issue. Airbus said it was working with airline customers to support modifications on the remaining aircraft to return them to service.

Airbus said on Monday that the vast majority of around 6,000 of its A320-family fleet affected by the safety alert had been modified, with fewer than 100 jets still requiring work. But some require a longer process and Colombia’s Avianca continued to halt bookings for dates until December 8. JetBlue said it would cancel 20 flights for Monday. The unprecedented decision to recall about half the A320-family fleet was taken shortly after the possible but unproven link to a drop in altitude on the JetBlue jet emerged late last week. Following talks with regulators, Airbus issued its 8-page alert to hundreds of operators on Friday, effectively ordering a temporary grounding by ordering the repair before next flight.

Shares in Airbus were down 3% after hitting their lowest since October 15, although analysts said the financial impact may be limited. Thales, which supplies the flight computers, lost 2%. It is the first time Airbus has had to deal with global safety attention on such a scale since that crisis. CEO Guillaume Faury publicly apologised in a deliberate shift of tone for an industry beset by lawsuits and conservative public relations. Boeing has also declared itself more open.