All the flights in the US grounded for the first time since 9/11 after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suffered a system outage that sends messages to pilots. The agency later ordered airlines to stop domestic departures but lifted the ban just before 9 a.m. Eastern Time.
At least 5,400 U.S. flights were affected by the outage. More than 800 U.S. flights were also canceled on Wednesday. The flights were still delayed as of 10 a.m. ET, according to flight tracker FlightAware. Three major airlines including Delta, United, and Southwest Airlines, said schedule adjustments are likely.
According to aviation data firm Cirium, more than 23,000 flights were scheduled to, from, and within the United States.
“This technology issue is causing significant operational delays across the National Airspace System,” said Airlines for America, an industry group that represents major U.S. carriers, including Delta, American, United, Southwest, and others.
Meanwhile, in a post on Twitter at 8:14 AM EST, the agency later announced that “all flights currently in the sky are safe to land. Pilots check the NOTAM system before they fly. A Notice to Air Missions alerts pilots about closed runways, equipment outages, and other potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight.”
All flights currently in the sky are safe to land. Pilots check the NOTAM system before they fly. A Notice to Air Missions alerts pilots about closed runways, equipment outages, and other potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight. — The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023
Possible Cyberattack?
Based on their investigations so far, the FAA and the White House ruled out potential cyberattacks by local or state actors. In a statement, the White House said:
“There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes.”
The White House also added that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had briefed the president on the outage. In another tweet, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said:
“There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes.”
The President has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation this morning on the FAA system outage. There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but the President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates. — Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) January 11, 2023
All flights in the US grounded for the first time since 9/11 after FAA suffered a system outage; air traffic resumes
