A cosmic ray from a faraway supernova explosion may have sent a packed passenger jet into free fall in late October, forcing an emergency landing.

Airbus issued an urgent directive on a “significant number" of A320 family aircraft, potentially disrupting travel. Here’s what we know.

Read premium business news, economic analysis, and market reporting from New Zealand’s most trusted business newsroom. Subscribe to support independent journalism.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is unsure how many other planes are likely to be affected by the problem, which caused an Airbus A320 engine to shut down during a flight.

Following a sudden drop in altitude on a JetBlue A320 last month, Airbus orders software and hardware corrections across thousands of aircraft globally.

Russian investigators have described as “unreasonable” a Ural Airlines Airbus A320 crew’s decision to divert to Novosibirsk, having incorrectly estimated the fuel required after failing to take into account the aircraft’s extended landing-gear.

Airbus' stock shares declined after the European aeospace manufacturer announced a recall of its A320 planes for a software update after a jet's incident.