Thousands of flights delayed across United States after technical failure hits FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a ground stop on flights hours after it ordered airlines to delay all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.

Written by Express Web Desk

Updated: January 11, 2023 22:22 IST

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Thousands of flight delays and cancellations rippled across the US after computer outage led to a grounding order for all departing aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration. Seen here are stranded passengers waiting at the Orlando International Airport. (Reuters)

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The FAA is working to restore what is known as the Notice to Air Missions System.Before commencing a flight, pilots are required to consult NOTAMs, or Notices to Air Missions, which list potential adverse impacts on flights, from runway construction to the potential for icing. Seen here is a board showing delayed flights at LaGuardia Airport in New York. (AP)

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While the White House initially said that there is no evidence of a cyberattack, President Joe Biden said “we don’t know” and told reporters that he’s directed the Department of Transportation to investigate the cause of the disruption. (Reuters)

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Nearly 5,000 flights were delayed and almost 900 were cancelled by around 10 am. Seen here are people waiting at the Denver International Airport. (Reuters)

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Stranded passengers wait at the Orlando International Airport, as flights were grounded after FAA system outage, in Orlando, Florida, U.S. (Reuters)

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Delays and cancellations that began on East Coast quickly spread west, with disruptions at almost all major US airports. A screen displays status of a flight at the Orlando International Airport. (Reuters)

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Shares of US carriers fell in Wednesday's premarket trading. Southwest Airlines was down 2.4%, while Delta Air Lines Inc, United Airlines and American Airlines were down about 1%. (AP)

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FAA's system outage comes weeks after an operational meltdown at Southwest at the end of last year left thousands of passengers stranded. (PTI)

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Germany's Lufthansa and Air France both said they were continuing to operate flights to and from the United States, while the French airline said it was monitoring the situation. (AP)

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A total of 21,464 flights are scheduled to depart airports in the United States on Wednesday with a carrying capacity of nearly 2.9 million passengers, data from Cirium shows. Passengers check in at Southwest Airlines' self serve kiosks at Chicago's Midway Airport. (AP)