US domestic flights delays after FAA system outage. Here’s what we know

Flights across the US are slowly returning to normal after being grounded because of a system outage at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The FAA is the US government agency which oversees many aspects of America’s aviation, including air traffic management. 

The issue is affected the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which provides pilots with real-time information about changes and potential hazards on flight routes. 

Also: Flighty is a must-have iOS app for air travel

“The FAA is working to restore its Notice to Air Missions System. We are performing final validation checks and reloading the system now. Operations across the National Airspace System are affected,” the FAA said in a tweet posted earlier this morning. 

“The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage. The FAA has ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information,” it later added.

A little over two hours after the initial reports of the issue, the FAA has now stated that operations were being restored and flights were taking off.

“Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted. We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem,” said the statement.

The exact nature of the computer issue is yet to be disclosed, but the White House has said there’s currently no evidence it’s due to a cyber attack.
The importance of the NOTAM system to flight safety meant that, for a period of time all flights within the US were been grounded.  Airports and air carriers have warned travellers that they should expect delays. 

“The FFA system that sends out important real-time flight hazards and restrictions to all commericial airline pilots – Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) – is currently suffering a nationwide outage,” United Airlines said in a statement. 

“United as temporarily delayed all domestic flights and will issue an update when we learn more from the FFA,” it added. 

Also: 5 must-have devices for work travel now

“We’re closely monitoring a data issue with the FAA that may impact the start of operations today Jan 11, 2023,” said a tweet by Southwest Airlines. 

“An FAA system outage is causing ground stops at AUS and other airports across the country. Arriving & departing passengers can expect delays this morning & through the day,” said a tweet posted by Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.