Global airlines race to fix jets as Airbus apologises recalling A320s

Global airlines scrambled to fix a software glitch on Airbus A320 jets on Saturday as a partial recall by the European planemaker halted hundreds of flights in Asia and Europe and threatened US travel over the busiest weekend of the year.

- 

Airlines worked through the night after global regulators told them to remedy the problem before resuming flights. Delta Air Lines and Hungary's Wizz Air on Saturday each said they had completed the fix to their fleet with no impact on operations.

The overnight effort by airlines appeared to help head off the worst-case scenario and capped the number of flight delays in Asia and Europe. The US will face high demand after the Thanksgiving holiday period.

UAE FLIGHTS: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said in a press statement Saturday that its flights have returned to normal scheduled operations following the successful installation of the required Airbus software update across A320 fleet.

“Thanks to the exceptional efforts of our operational and technical teams, the update was completed quickly and with minimal disruption - despite this being one of the busiest travel periods at Zayed International Airport ahead of the long weekend," the Etihad statement said.

“We appreciate the professionalism of our teams across the network and thank our guests for their patience and understanding. Safety remains Etihad’s highest priority, and we are pleased to have restored regular services swiftly,” it added.