Global recall of Airbus A320 planes

On Saturday morning, Airbus called for urgent repairs on 6,000 of its A320-200 jets, affecting more than half of the global fleet. 

By that evening, however, the company told airlines the recall might be less demanding than initially feared, according to industry sources. The move has caused worldwide disruptions, with engineers working to roll back affected planes to earlier software before they can return to service.

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VGR (MSN 4257)

Jetstar's chief pilot, Tyrone Simes, said the carrier had 85 A320s in its fleet, but only 34 had been identified as having the software "anomaly".

He could not say how many customers had been affected by the disruption to flights but said it would "certainly be into the thousands".

"It is a worldwide issue, so there are many thousands of customers right across the world with different airlines affected."

Mr. Simes said it was "difficult" to say how long the Jetstar disruptions would last but said most repairs could be completed by the end of today.

He said each impacted plane would be grounded for two to three hours while engineers carried out the software fix.

"We're hoping to get it all done today and expecting the potential for some minor disruption tomorrow," Mr. Simes said.

Impacted A320 planes that are not at airports with the necessary engineering support may be grounded longer. Mr. Simes said most of Jetstar's impacted aircraft were on Australia's east coast.

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A320-232 VH-UVO (MSN 2453)

Qantas also has A320s in its fleet, but a spokesperson said none of its services had been impacted.

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA AIRBUS A320-232 VH-VNB (MSN 2906)

Virgin Australia emerged relatively unscathed from the global Airbus A320 recall that has severely impacted air travel worldwide. While Jetstar faces significant disruptions, Virgin Australia’s operations remain stable. The airline’s limited use of the A320 aircraft has positioned it to handle this industry challenge effectively. The news emphasizes Virgin Australia’s ability to maintain steady service despite broader industry disruptions.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority told the media it was aware of the issue "affecting the A320 family of aircraft globally".

"All aircraft that are affected will need to be checked in accordance with advice issued by Airbus and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency," a spokesperson said.

"We are in contact with major airlines and confident they are acting quickly to minimise disruptions and ensure aircraft can be returned to service safely."

About two-thirds of the affected aircraft worldwide will be briefly grounded, industry, while more than 1,000 may be grounded longer due to hardware changes.

Airbus said a recent incident involving an A320-family aircraft had revealed that solar flares may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls.

Industry sources said that the incident that triggered the unexpected repairs involved a JetBlue flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey, on the 30th of October.

There are around 11,300 A320-family jets in operation, including 6,440 of the core A320 model, which first flew in 1987.

Four of the world's ten biggest A320-family operators are major US airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and United Airlines.

Air New Zealand chief safety and risk officer Nathan McGraw said 20 flights had been cancelled yesterday and today due to the glitch.

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A320-271 ZK-NHA (MSN 8715)

The national carrier had 37 A320 aircraft in its fleet.

PHILIPPINE AIRASIA AIRBUA A320-214 RP-C8946 (MSN 4397)

AIR MALTA AIRBUS A320-251 9H-NEE (MSN 11366)

IBERIA EXPRESS AIRBUS A320-214 EC-LLE (MSN 1119)

VUELING AIRBUS A320-214 EC-MAO (MSN 6081)

An update from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency advised that planes with the affected software could continue operating until 12.59pm on November 30 but need to be grounded after that.

UPS grounds their entire MD -11 fleet

UPS McDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11F N278UP (MSN 48577)

UPS says a fleet of planes grounded after a fatal crash likely won’t return to service during the busy holiday season, as they undergo inspections and potential repairs.

According to a memo from UPS Airlines president Bill Moore, the airline now expects it will take several months for its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet to return to service while it works to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines. The process, once estimated to take just weeks, is now anticipated to stretch over several months.

On the 4th of November in Louisville, Kentucky, a fiery MD-11 plane crash claimed 14 lives and injured at least 23 others after the left engine broke off during takeoff. Cargo carriers globally grounded their McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleets shortly after, ahead of a directive from the FAA.

“Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing’s ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected,” Moore wrote in the memo.

A UPS spokesperson said the company will use contingency plans to keep deliveries on track during the peak season and will take the necessary time to ensure every aircraft is safe. The 109 remaining MD-11 planes, which are over 30 years old on average, are dedicated to hauling cargo for package delivery companies, making up about 9% of UPS’s fleet and 4% of FedEx’s.

The aircraft that crashed, N259UP, was a 34-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-11F with MSN 48417. The aircraft was first delivered to Thai Airways International in 1991 with the registration HS-TME, after which it was converted to a cargo aircraft and delivered to UPS Airlines in 2006. It had flown 21,043 cycles and for about 92,992 hours and was equipped with three General Electric CF6-80C2D1F engines.

Air New Zealand - Mount Erebus crash

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZE (MSN 34334)

Forty-six years ago today, on the 28th of November 1979, Air New Zealand flight TE901 flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board.  

Flight TE901 left Auckland International Airport around 8:00 am for Antarctica and was scheduled to arrive back at Christchurch International Airport at 7:00 pm after flying 5,360 miles (8,630 km). 

The aircraft would make a 45-minute stop at Christchurch for refueling and a crew change, before flying the remaining 464 miles (747 km) to Auckland, arriving at 9:00 pm.

(At the time of the crash, Air New Zealand had two IATA codes, TE for international flights (a relic from Air New Zealand's predecessor, Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL)) and NZ for domestic flights (acquired from the merger with the National Airways Corporation in April 1978). 

Investigations concluded that the accident was primarily caused by two errors.

1. a correction made to the coordinates of the flight path the night before the disaster, coupled with a failure to inform the flight crew of the change, with the result that the aircraft, instead of being directed by computer down McMurdo Sound (as the crew had been led to believe), was instead rerouted to a path straight toward Mount Erebus.

2. The decision of the captain to continue the flight at low level toward an area of poor surface and horizon definition when the crew was not certain of their position and the subsequent inability to detect the rising terrain which intercepted the aircraft's flight path.

The aircraft used on the Antarctic flights were McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 trijets. 

The aircraft on the day was registered ZK-NZP. 

ZK-NZP was the182nd DC-10 to be built, and the fourth DC-10 to be introduced by Air New Zealand. The DC 10 was handed over to the airline on the 12th of December 1974 at McDonnell Douglas's Long Beach plant. It had only logged 20,700 flight hours prior to the crash.

Air New Zealand had been operating a scheduled Antarctic sightseeing flights since 1977. 

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Air New Zealand

Code: TE

Aircraft: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 

Registration: ZK-NZP

Serial Number: 46910

Engines: 3 x GE CF6-50C2

First Flew: 08/11/1974
Age: 5 Yrs

Sending thoughts and prayers to all who are remembering their loved ones today.

More from over home

Yesterday, runway 01 was in use again, and with Brisbane experiencing severe storms for three nights in a row, we saw some late-night diversions. Each night around 10 pm (12:00 UTC), a Qatar 777-300 (VA16, operating for Virgin Australia) and an Emirates 777-300 (EK430) usually arrive. On Tuesday night, the storms were so intense that both aircraft diverted to Melbourne (MEL/YMML). Sydney (SYD/YSSY) wasn't an option because of curfew from 11.00 pm.

Yesterday morning at 4:30 am (18:30 UTC), Emirates returned from Melbourne, followed by Qatar at 10:15 am (00:15 UTC). We also had a Jetstar 787-8 ferry flight. As I was tied up with other commitments yesterday, my daughter kindly spent the morning taking these photos for me—huge thanks to her for a job well done.

UNITED BOEING 777-224 N78004 (MSN 27580)
UA96 ARRIVING FROM SAN FRANCISCO (SFO) 27 YEARS

DELTA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 N574DZ (MSN 265)
DL93 ARRIVING FROM LOS ANGELES (LAX) 6 YEARS

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-YXV (MSN 5598)
JQ482 ARRIVING FROM NEWCASTLE (NTL) 12 YEARS

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FGEI (MSN 37174) 
AC35 ARRIVING FROM VANCOUVER (YVR) 9 YEARS

FIJI AIRWAYS BOEING 737-808 DQ-FJN (MSN 34969)
FJ921 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 18 YEARS

DIAMOND DA20-CI VH-XTN (MSN C0054)

PIPER CHEROKEE ARROW III VH-RMW (MSN 28R-7703151)

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 777-367 ZK-OKW (MSN 42142)
NZ145 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 12 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRLINES AIRBUS A350 9V-SHU (MSN 469)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 4 YEARS

QATAR BOEING 777-3DZ A7-BAM (MSN 38245)
VA16 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 14 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKI (MSN 36235)
JQ8994 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 10 YEARS

Last Qantas A380 in storage coming home

QANTAS AIRBUS A380-842 VH-OQL (MSN 074)

Nearly six years after Qantas grounded its entire Airbus A380 fleet when the global pandemic hit in early 2020, the last of the iconic double-decker jets is set to return home next week. However, it won’t be going back into service on premium international routes right away. Instead, Qantas plans to keep one superjumbo on standby as a backup in case another becomes unserviceable by technical problems – a move to avoid leaving around 480 passengers stranded.

“It’ll be an operational spare,” Qantas International CEO Cam Wallace told the media.

“We’ll use it occasionally, but most of the time it will serve as a backup to ensure operational resilience,” Wallace said. “It’s about investing in our customers, supporting our on-time performance, and maintaining strong cancellation and completion rates.”

Considered the pride of the fleet since it first took flight in 2008, the Qantas A380s now fly on flagship routes such as Sydney-Singapore-London, and Sydney and Melbourne to Los Angeles, as well as to Dallas Fort Worth and Johannesburg.

Of the twelve jets, only ten are in service, as two were taken apart for spare parts after Airbus decided in 2019 to end A380 production. Qantas plans to keep flying the A380s into the early part of the next decade, before replacing them with the new Airbus A350-1000.

If my records are correct the Airbus A380 should be VH-OQC (MSN 022). It landed in Abu Dhabi Zayed International airport (AUH/OMAA) on the 21st of June 2021.

Qantas currently run the following registrations in the A380 fleet.
VH-OQA   014

VH-OQB   015

VH-OQD   026

VH-OQG   047

VH-OQH   050

VH-OQI    055

VH-OQJ   062

VH-OQK   063

VH-OQL   074

VH-OQE 027 and OQF 029 have been scraped for parts.  

Chinese airlines are canceling flights to Japan amid rising tensions.

With tensions between China and Japan on the rise, Chinese airlines have canceled all flights on 12 routes linking the two nations, leading thousands of travelers from the Chinese mainland to request ticket refunds.

Xiamen Airlines has called off all flights from Hangzhou to Chubu Centrair International Airport, and Hainan Airlines has halted services from Xi’an to New Chitose Airport. Meanwhile, Air China has trimmed its weekly Shanghai-Osaka flights from 21 to 12, and China Eastern Airlines has reduced its Beijing-Osaka route from 14 flights to 6.

According to the latest monitoring data from Flight Steward, the 12 routes where all flights were canceled due to a recent sharp drop in passenger numbers were already operating at relatively low frequencies.

There were originally many flights from Chinese cities to the Kansai International Airport, but most passengers go to Osaka for leisure, so the flight cancellation rate is relatively higher, an industry insider told Yicai. In contrast, many travel to Tokyo for business, making them less likely to change their original plans, the person pointed out.

The number of bookings for flights run by Chinese mainland carriers to Japan dropped by 543,000 on the 18th of November compared with the 15th of November, meaning that more than half a million tickets were canceled between the 15th and the 17th, the three days after domestic carriers announced free refund and rescheduling options, aviation expert Li Hanming told the media.

More than a dozen Chinese airlines, including the three biggest state-owned airlines -- China Eastern, China Southern Airlines, and Air China -- offered refund and rescheduling options free of charge to passengers who had booked flights to Japan between the 15th of November and the 31st of December after China advised its citizens to avoid traveling there amid increasing political tensions between the two nations.

Japanese hotel operators are also facing increasing pressure due to the drop in Chinese visitors, a Chinese-speaking tour guide in the Shikoku region told Yicai. "This is supposed to be the busiest time of the year, but both Chinese tour groups I was scheduled to receive next month canceled, and so the originally peak tourist season is now filled with uncertainty," she noted.

“We’ve already noticed a drop in demand for local reception services from tour groups coming from mainland China,” the tour guide said. “With so many last-minute flight cancellations to Japan by independent travelers, I suspect the number of hotel booking cancellations is even higher.”

"I dare not imagine what will happen if this situation lasts for a year, as it feels like we are going back to the sluggish days during the pandemic," she noted.

South Korea has emerged as the top overseas travel destination for tourists from mainland China, according to data from the Chinese travel platform Qunar. Seoul leads in outbound flight searches, with other favorites including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Sydney, and Bali.

The Hijacking of KLM flight 861

KLM BOEING 737-8K2 PH-BXL (MSN 30359)

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the hijacking of KLM flight 861, which was en route from Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS/EHAM) to Tokyo Haneda (HND/RJTT). The Boeing 747-200, named Mississippi, carried over 250 people when three individuals, allegedly from the Arab Youth Organization for the Liberation of Palestine, commandeered the aircraft over Iraq.

On the 25th of November 1973 KLM Flight 861, a regular service from Amsterdam to Tokyo-Haneda with scheduled stops in Athens (ATH/LGAV), Beirut (BEY/OLBA), and Delhi (DEL/VIDP), was overtaken by three passengers' mid-flight over Iraq. Claiming affiliation with the Arab Youth Organization for the Liberation of Palestine, they redirected the plane to several locations—Damascus, Nicosia, Tripoli, Malta, and finally Dubai—where they surrendered. All 247 passengers and 17 crew members emerged unharmed from the ordeal.

On the third segment of its journey, between Beirut and Delhi, KLM flight 861 was abruptly hijacked. The perpetrators, asserting ties to the Arab Youth Organization for the Liberation of Palestine, initially demanded to be flown to Damascus, Syria. Subsequently, they sought to return to Europe, targeting Nicosia, Cyprus, as their next stop. There, they leveraged the hijacking to press for the release of seven Palestinian prisoners. When their demands were not met, they ordered the aircraft to proceed to Tripoli, Libya.

The same flight number continues to designate the direct Amsterdam to Tokyo route today.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: KLM

Code: KL/KLM

Aircraft: Boeing 747-206B

Registration: PH-BUA

Serial Number: 19922

Engines: 4 x PW JT9D-7W

First Flew: 13/12/1970

Air India finds Boeing 737 it forgot about

Air India’s rediscovery of a long-forgotten Boeing jet has exposed deep structural weaknesses in the airline’s former state-run asset-management practices, raising new questions about oversight during the years before privatization.

The carrier recently learned that a 43-year-old Boeing 737-200 had been sitting abandoned at Kolkata Airport (CCU/VECC) for more than a decade — unnoticed in official records and omitted from financial documentation across multiple administrative cycles. The discovery came only after airport officials contacted the airline to request that the obsolete aircraft be removed from the airfield.

The jet, registered VT-EHH (MSN 22863), was delivered to the former Indian Airlines on the 8th of September 1982 and later flew for Alliance Air before Air India converted it into a freighter in 2007. It operated in partnership with India Post before being grounded in 2012. From there, it slipped into obscurity, stored in a remote corner of the airport and effectively erased from the carrier’s fixed-asset records.

The lapse triggered a detailed internal audit, which found that the aircraft had disappeared from depreciation schedules, insurance documentation, maintenance forecasts, and financing-related registers. Because the airline was still state-owned at the time, the financial consequences were ultimately borne by taxpayers. As the original press release noted, “At the time, taxpayers were responsible for losses, and the outdated processes allowed this lapse to persist.”

The plane remained invisible to the airline’s operational ecosystem for years. Insurers had no active file for it, maintenance teams had no scheduled tasks associated with it, and finance departments did not track its long-term cost exposure. The omission meant the aircraft was not factored into asset valuations during the Tata Group takeover — a striking example of how incomplete documentation can distort the true condition of a large enterprise.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson acknowledged the extent of the oversight to employees, explaining that across several years leading up to privatization, VT-EHH was repeatedly absent from internal registers used to track property and equipment. According to the press release, “At the time, taxpayers were responsible for losses, and the outdated processes allowed this lapse to persist.”

Additional historical accounts referenced in the release indicate that VT-EHH had once been stored alongside another classic jet, VT-EGG (MSN 22283), at Kolkata. While VT-EGG was eventually transported to Rajasthan and turned into an aircraft-themed restaurant, VT-EHH never left the airport. Some aviation observers noted that the aircraft had previously been seen at Delhi Airport (DEL) before ultimately ending up as a themed structure in Rajasthan.

Eight people hospitalised after power bank causes cabin fire

SAS AIRBUS A320-232 OY-KAW (MSN 2817)

On Saturday, I shared a story about power banks being banned from Australian airlines due to safety concerns. Now, an incident at Oslo Airport (OSL/ENGM) has reignited worries over lithium battery safety in aircraft cabins after a portable battery pack caught fire during boarding. The blaze broke out on a nearly new Airbus A320 operated by Scandinavian carrier SAS (SK/SAS), just minutes before it was set to depart on a short domestic flight to Bergen.

About 50 passengers were on board when smoke started seeping from a bag in the cabin. Things escalated fast as thick fumes filled the aisle, prompting the crew to act quickly and evacuate everyone before the situation got worse. The cabin crew put on smoke hoods to protect themselves from the toxic fumes spreading through the plane.

They used a Halon fire extinguisher to control the burning bag and moved it from the aircraft to the tarmac, where emergency responders were already in position. Once outside, the battery pack completely ignited before firefighters managed to fully contain the fire.

Accident investigators later confirmed that eight people were taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

A few people were kept under observation but were all released within 24 hours. Investigators say the fire was caused by a portable battery pack in a passenger’s hand luggage. Thanks to the quick actions of the SAS crew, the situation didn’t get worse, but it’s a strong reminder of the need for tighter controls and better passenger awareness.

As the investigation goes on, regulators and airlines will likely move faster to reduce the risk of battery-related fires on flights.

A special treat for Brisbane

Yesterday, fellow plane enthusiasts and I were treated to a rare and special sight—a China Airlines Boeing 747-400 arriving from Christchurch, New Zealand. The queen of the skies certainly drew a crowd, with the turning circle packed and the top level of the P1 car park, where my wife and I stood, bustling with spotters. The queen was carrying the third-highest ranking person in the Chinese government, Mr. Zhao Leji. The Chinese politician is set to explore Brisbane and Canberra as a Guest of the Australian Parliament over the four-day trip. As if that wasn’t enough, the German Air Force A400 Atlas, which had been on the ground for a few days, took off as well. Just as we were leaving, a Gulfstream 550—rumored to have Lenny Kravitz on board—departed for Melbourne. What an incredible morning.

AVCAIR EMBRAER PHENOM 300E VH-NJR (MSN 50500774)

JETSTAR AIRBUS A320-232 VH-XNJ (MSN 5323)
JQ563 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 13 YEARS

QANTASLINK AIRBUS A220-300 VH-X4C (MSN 55288)
QF1259 OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 1 YEAR

ALLIANCE FOKKER 100 VH-FGB (MSN 11446)
VA1235 OFF TO ROCKHAMPTON (ROK) 32 YEARS

QANTAS BOEING 737-838 VH-VZC (MSN 34197)
QF165 OFF TO AIRAI (ROR) 17 YEARS

QANTASLINK DASH 8 400 VH-QOX (MSN 4287)
QLK546D OFF TO BARCALDINE (BCI) 16 YEARS

KOREAN AIR BOEING 787-9 HL7206 (MSN 34815)
KE408 OFF TO SEOUL (ICN) 7 YEARS

PHILIPPINE AIRLINES AIRBUS A321-271N RP-C9934 (MSN 8484)
PR221 ARRIVING FROM MANILA (MNL) 7 YEARS

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA BOEING 737 MAX 8 VH-8IC (MSN 66635)
VA175 OFF TO NADI (NAN) 2 YEARS

AIR NEW ZEALAND BOEING 787-9 ZK-NZK (MSN 43217)
NZ145 ARRIVING FROM AUCKLAND (AKL) 9 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-303 VH-QPA (MSN 553)
QF61 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 22 YEARS

QANTAS AIRBUS A330-203 VH-EBL (MSN 976)
QF610 ARRIVING FROM MELBOURNE (MEL) 17 YEARS
SPORTING THE VERY FADED "PRIDE IS IN THE AIR" LIVERY

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-UYB (19000012)
QLK1862 OFF TO TOWNSVILLE (TSV) 20 YEARS

AMERICAN BOEING 787-9 N845MD (MSN 66010)
AA8 OFF TO DALLAS (DFW) 8 MONTHS

AIR NEW ZEALAND AIRBUS A320-271N ZK-NHB (MSN 8803)
NZ272 OFF TO WELLINGTON (WEL) 6 YEARS

SINGAPORE AIRBUS A350-941 9V-SHF (MSN 305)
SQ255 ARRIVING FROM SINGAPORE (SIN) 6 YEARS

CHINA SOUTHERN AIRBUS A350-941 B-320S (MSN 449)
CZ382 OFF TO GUANGZHOU (CAN) 4 YEARS

FIJI AIRBUS A330-243 DQ-FJT (MSN1394) 
FJ921 ARRIVING FROM NADI (NAN) 12 YEARS

CHINA AIRLINES AIRBUS A350-941 B-18903 (MSN 066)
CI53 ARRIVING FROM TAIPEI (TPE) 8 YEARS

JETSTAR BOEING 787-8 VH-VKL (MSN 36238)
JQ9 OFF TO TOKYO (NRT) 10 YEARS

AIR CHINA BOEING 747-4JS B-2472 (MSN 30158)
CHINA 31 ARRIVING FROM CHRISTCHURCH (CHC) 26 YEARS

AIR CANADA BOEING 787-9 C-FRSA (MSN 37175)
AC36 OFF TO VANCOUVER (YVR) 8 YEARS

GERMANY AIR FORCE AIRBUS A400 ATLAS 54+35 (MSN 105)
GAF444 OFF TO PORT HEADLAND (PHE) 

AXIS AVIATION GULFSTREAM G550 OE-LTC (MSN 5452)
OFF TO MELBOURNE (MEL) 12 YEARS
RUMOURED TO BE CARRY LENNY KRAVITZ

EMIRATES AIRBUS A380-861 A6-EOC (MSN 165)