Thousands of travelers worldwide were stranded after Airbus ordered immediate software fixes for 6,000 A320-series aircraft, a move that affected more than half of the narrow-body fleet and forced airlines to ground jets during one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

The directive — among the largest in the 55-year history of Airbus — quickly spilled into U.S. holiday travel and stretched to Australia. The disruption, linked to solar flares, hit especially hard in Asia, where the single-aisle A320 family anchors short-haul networks.

American Airlines , the world's largest A320 operator, told CNBC that the Airbus recall impacted 209 aircraft, down from the more than 340 initially identified. "As of 6 p.m. CT, American has fewer than 150 aircraft remaining to

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