Concerns about potential travel chaos across Europe and beyond diminished on Saturday after Airbus quickly implemented a necessary software upgrade for its A320 aircraft. The company announced late Friday that approximately 6,000 A320 planes could not operate until the upgrade was completed. This decision followed a technical incident involving a JetBlue flight in the United States, which raised fears that many planes would be grounded for extended periods.

Despite initial worries, several major European airlines reported minimal or no cancellations. However, challenges were noted in Latin America and Asia. Airbus advised its clients to take "immediate precautionary action" after assessing a malfunction on a JetBlue flight in October. The company stated that "intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls," affecting a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in service.

The software replacement process is expected to take a few hours for most planes, but for about 1,000 aircraft, it could take weeks, according to a source familiar with the situation. French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot reported that Airbus had corrected the defect on more than 5,000 aircraft by Saturday morning. He indicated that the number of planes needing extended servicing might be much lower than the initially feared 1,000, suggesting it could be closer to 100.

The A320, produced since 1988, is the world’s best-selling airplane, with Airbus selling 12,257 units by the end of September, slightly ahead of Boeing's 12,254 737s. Air France confirmed it would be able to transport all customers on Saturday, except for flights in its Caribbean regional network, after canceling 35 flights on Friday. Lufthansa reported that most software updates were completed overnight, with no cancellations expected, though some isolated delays might occur. EasyJet also stated that it had not canceled any flights, as all its A320s had been updated.

French Economy Minister Roland Lescure noted that for the majority of affected aircraft, the software update could be done remotely and quickly.

The urgency for the software update arose after a JetBlue-operated A320 experienced a control issue on October 30, leading to a sudden nosedive during a flight from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, New Jersey. The pilots managed to land safely in Tampa, Florida, and reports indicated that some passengers sustained injuries. JetBlue has begun necessary updates on some A320 and A321 models but did not comment further on the incident.

American Airlines also started updating its software following the alert and expected to service most of its approximately 340 affected aircraft by Saturday, although it warned of several delays. United Airlines initially reported no impact but later identified six affected aircraft, anticipating minor disruptions.

In addition, Air India announced potential delays, while Colombian airline Avianca reported that 70 percent of its fleet was affected, leading to significant disruptions in the coming days and a suspension of ticket sales until December 8. In the Philippines, local airlines Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific grounded at least 40 domestic flights, offering refunds or rebooked tickets to affected passengers.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) stated that these measures might cause short-term disruptions to flight schedules, emphasizing that "safety is paramount."