This week, if you are flying somewhere within Australia, make sure and check your flight status before you leave your home. Due to the domino effect from the Airbus recall, which is continuing through this week, the airline industry is basically playing catch-up.
Jetstar’s mess was the worst of any carrier affected by the Airbus recall, with the carrier cancelling approximately 90 flights in a single day on Monday. Most of these cancellations were on routes between Sydney and both Tullamarine and Avalon airports in Victoria, as well as Adelaide, Perth and Hobart. The morning hours were total chaos but by late afternoon, the check-in counter at Melbourne airport started to settle down.
Jetstar’s chief pilot explained to customers that the issue arose due to a new software update that caused the flight control computer to report strange readings. In order to return the flight control computers to their previous state, the software update must be reversed on each of the affected aircraft. This reversal process will take approximately 2-3 hours for each aircraft to complete.
Although Jetstar has a fleet of 85 A320 aircraft, only 34 of the 85 showed any sign of a malfunction; therefore, most customers can expect delays until at least Sunday.
So why is this all happening? Because of a massive recall.
On November 28, 2025, Airbus officially requested that all operators of 6000 aircraft around the world restore those aircraft to service after a flight control malfunction forced one of its aircraft to make an unexpected diversion.
The recall sent shockwaves through the world’s transportation schedules, including Australia.
What the Terminal Was Like: Crazy Crowds, Confusion, and Waiting
Video footage of the Melbourne Airport displays crowds of passengers attempting to ascertain why so many flights were no longer listed on the screening boards. This was further compounded by the fire at Terminal 1 the night before which resulted in an evacuation.
In Sydney’s Terminal 2, they were still experiencing capacity by mid-morning.
For thousands of Year 12 school leavers eager to travel to either the Gold Coast or Byron Bay for their school leave week, it was an unfortunate time to be travelling.
Per Perth and WA
Perth Airport has acknowledged the recall will affect all flights operating to/from Western Australia. Travellers need to reach out to their airlines, and stay informed of updates, as the event is evolving on an hourly basis.
Airports’ Assisting, but not much Help
Head of Aviation at Melbourne Airport stated their staff were doing everything they could to assist Jetstar in resolving the issue with the planes currently on the ground. Technicians were working day and night inspecting all the aircraft, and there were open channels of communication with all the affected passengers.
According to airport officials, Sydney Airport supported Jetstar and encouraged travelers to confirm their flight status before heading to the airport.
Various companies handled the disruption differently, including:
- Virgin Australia only has four A320 aircraft but they operate solely on western Australian regional routes. They intend to use their Boeing 737 fleet to reduce the number of people impacted by this situation.
- Qantas asserted their flight schedule would not be affected although they also operate some A320 models.
- Air New Zealand cancelled 12 flights and stated that the repercussions may extend until 2 December 2020.
It all started when one aircraft had an issue with its flight control system and, due to how serious this issue was, the manufacturer (Airbus) had to issue a global alert for safety reasons to pull all aircrafts from the air. When manufacturers pull many aircraft at once, delays are inevitable, and Australia has begun feeling those effects immediately.
If you plan to fly soon (especially with Jetstar), approach those plans as a “Maybe yes, maybe no”.
Make sure you have checked your flight’s status. Then check it again! Don’t necessarily expect to reach your destination on time.
