Hundreds of flights grounded in US due to Federal Aviation Administration system outage

Hundreds of flights across the United States were grounded after the Federal Aviation Administration reported a computer glitch in its systems. The FAA system, which alerts pilots and other flight personnel about hazards or any changes to airport facility services and relevant procedures, was not processing updated information, the regulator’s website showed on Wednesday.  

In an advisory, the FAA said its NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system had "failed". There was no immediate estimate for when it would be back, the website showed, though NOTAMs issued before the outage was still viewable. A NOTAM is a notice that has important information for personnel concerned with flight operations.

"Operations across the National Airspace System are affected. We will provide frequent updates as we make progress," FAA added. 

Over 1,200 flights were delayed within, into, or out of the United States as of Wednesday at 6.31 am ET, flight tracking website FlightAware showed.

An advisory by US Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATSCC) said: "Technicians are currently working to restore the system and there is no estimate for restoration of the system at the times." 

In another update, FAA tweeted that it is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage. Some functions are beginning to come back on line, National Airspace System operations remain limited.

US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that he is in touch with FAA since morning about an outage affecting a key system for providing safety information to pilots.

Airlines issue alerts

Airlines operating have also reported that their flights are grounded until the FAA system is restored.

American Airlines in a statement said: "The Federal Aviation Administration is experiencing an outage with its NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system, which provides critical flight safety operation information. We are closely monitoring the situation, which impacts all airlines, and working with the FAA to minimize disruption to our operation and customers. We encourage customers to check aa.com for the latest flight information."

United Airlines also released a statement, saying: "The FAA system that sends out important real-time flight hazards & restrictions to all commercial airline pilots - Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) - is currently suffering a nationwide outage. United has temporarily delayed all domestic flights and will issue an update when we learn more from the FAA."

Southwest Airlines released this statement: "We are closely monitoring a data issue with FAA systems which may impact the start of operations today on Jan 11, 2023. Please check your flight status in the Southwest app or website to watch for any flight status changes. If your flight status changes substantially we will message the day of travel contact listed on your reservation by their preferred contact method."

(With Reuters inputs)