Airbus Enters Last Weeks of the Year Facing a Cosmic Distraction

As Airbus SE enters the last month of the year trying to meet an ambitious aircraft delivery target, the European planemaker finds itself confronted with a fresh challenge that’s come out of the blue.

The company surprised airlines and travelers alike late Friday with a call for “precautionary fleet action” on its A320 aircraft, the most widely flown commercial airliner in history. An Airbus software update left flight controls vulnerable to cosmic radiation, requiring an urgent code fix, four weeks after an in-flight mishap first brought the issue to light.