A widespread computer outage at the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has caused chaos across America, resulting in hundreds of delayed and canceled flights. The outage, which began early morning yesterday, affected more than 2,500 flights within, into, or out of the United States, exceeding the number of delayed flights on the previous day. The FAA ordered all US flights to delay departures until 9am EST, but airlines had already begun grounding flights before the official announcement.
According to the flight tracking website FlightAware, more than 150 flights have been cancelled, and the numbers are likely to grow. The FAA is working to resolve the issue as quickly and safely as possible, but the cause of the outage is still unknown. In a tweet, FAA Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that he is in touch with the agency and monitoring the situation.
The White House has also been briefed on the issue, with US President Joe Biden directing the Department of Transportation to investigate the cause of the disruption. The President said that he has been briefed by Secretary Buttigieg and that there is no evidence of a cyber attack at this point. Biden emphasized that air traffic can still land safely, but departures are being delayed due to the outage.
Delays were concentrated primarily along the East Coast, but are beginning to spread west. Inbound international flights into Miami International Airport continued to land, but all departures have been delayed since 6:30am. The FAA said that it is working to restore its Notice to Air Missions System (NOTAMs), which provides safety information to pilots, and that some functions are beginning to come back online, but national airspace system operations remain limited.
Joe Biden (Via Joe Biden/Twitter)
The NOTAM system is a critical component of air traffic control, providing pilots with information on potential hazards such as weather conditions, runway closures, and air traffic congestion. The system has moved online from its previous telephone-based format, requiring pilots to consult NOTAMs before commencing a flight.
The FAA has promised to provide frequent updates as it works to resolve the issue, but the potential for widespread disruption is high due to the outage. All aircraft, including commercial and military flights, are required to route through the system. European flights into the US appeared to be largely unaffected, with Irish carrier Aer Lingus confirming that its transatlantic flights will operate as scheduled.
As the situation continues to unfold, the FAA and the airline industry are working to minimize the disruption to air travel. The FAA has emphasized that safety is its top priority, and that it will do everything possible to restore normal operations as soon as possible.
