US air travel comes to standstill after FAA computer outage
NEW YORK, January 11, 2023
Air travel across the US came to a standstill on Wednesday after a computer glitch was reported on Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) computer.
The disruption stemmed from problems with the Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM) leading to utter chaos at the US airports, said media reports.
The United States NOTAM system, which provides airlines with real-time safety information for flight planning, failed at 2028Z.
There was no immediate estimate for when it would be back, the website showed, though NOTAMs issued before the outage were still viewable.
US President Joe Biden said he had been briefed on the situation and was in touch with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, reported CNN.
"I just spoke with Buttigieg," he told reporters as he departed the White House. "They don't know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him the last 10 minutes. I told them to report directly to me when they find out. Aircraft can still land safely, just not take off right now."
He continued, "They don't know what the cause of it is. They expect in a couple of hours they'll have a good sense of what caused it and will respond at that time."
Asked whether it was a cyberattack, Biden said: "They don't know. They will find out."
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that there was "no evidence of a cyberattack at this point," but that Biden had ordered a Department of Transportation investigation.
The US airlines association, Airlines for America, said it’s been notified about the disruptions, and that it’s “working with the FAA and awaiting further information regarding when these issues will be resolved.”
A total of 1,230 flights were delayed within, into or out of the US as of 7.19 am ET (1219 GMT), flight tracking website FlightAware showed, without citing reasons. Another 103 within, into or out of the country were also canceled.
Scores of passengers due to fly domestically began reporting delays on social media earlier Wednesday, and United Airlines Holdings said it would temporarily ground flights to all destinations.
Flight tracking website FlightAware showed 1,230 delays for US flights at 7:22 a.m. New York time, a figure likely to grow.
As the FAA scrambled to fix the system outage, the passengers were told to check with airlines for updates. Meanwhile flights already in the air were allowed to continue to their destinations.
"Technicians are currently working to restore the system and there is no estimate for restoration the system at the times," an advisory by US Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATSCC) said.
The regulator ordered all airlines to delay departures until 9 a.m. Eastern time “to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information,” according to an FAA tweet.
There are nine flight delays reported Wednesday morning at the Portland International Jetport. Incoming flights from New York, New Jersey and Baltimore are delayed, as are flights scheduled to depart for New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, according to the jetport website.
Most delays were concentrated along the East Coast, but were beginning to spread west. Airlines have begun to delay flights in response to the outage.
The FAA said it was working on restoring its Notice to Air Missions System.
The agency said that some functions are beginning to come back on line, but that “National Airspace System operations remain limited.”
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a tweet that he is in touch with the FAA and monitoring the situation.
There is a potential for widespread disruption because of the outage. All aircraft are required to route through the system, including commercial and military flights.
The agency said that it would provide frequent updates as it made progress.
