American Airlines (AAL), the largest operator of Airbus A320 jets, said over the weekend that just one aircraft remains to be updated following a major software recall from Airbus (EADSY). The update marks a big change from Friday, when 209 American jets were thought to be affected and many feared travel delays during one of the busiest times of the year.
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Airbus Recall Shocked Airlines Worldwide
The issue began when Airbus announced on Friday that about 6,000 A320 aircraft across the world need an urgent software fix. The alert was tied to a flight-control system risk that could cause incorrect data readings.
The news came at a tough time for the industry, with U.S. Thanksgiving travel pushing airports to their busiest levels of the year.
Early reports suggested the update could disrupt travel for many airlines. American Airlines originally said the recall would impact roughly 340 of its aircraft. But after reviewing its fleet, it confirmed the number was 209, which was far lower than feared.
As of Saturday morning, American reported that the fix had already been completed across the fleet, except for one final aircraft, with work scheduled to begin within hours.
Operational Impact Appears Contained
Despite the scale of the recall, American expects no meaningful operational disruption.
In an emailed statement, the airline said it anticipates normal operations for the remainder of the holiday travel period, including Sunday, its highest-volume travel day.
For investors, this helps ease uncertainty while airlines work to steady demand and improve their financial results.
Is AAL Stock a Buy?
The stock of American Airlines has a consensus Moderate Buy rating among 11 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on four Buy and seven Hold recommendations issued in the last three months. The average AAL price target of $15.30 implies 9.29% upside from current levels.
