International
Flights gradually resuming in US after nationwide stoppage
January 11 | By AFP | John Biers, with Becca Milfeld in Washington |
US air authorities ordered an hours-long grounding of flight departures nationwide Wednesday following an outage affecting a key system used by pilots before takeoff.
Near 1400 GMT, the Federal Aviation Administration said that normal operations were resuming gradually as airlines warned of lingering delays.
“Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the US,” the FAA said on Twitter near 1400 GMT. “The ground stop has been lifted. We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem.”
The agency had identified a problem with the Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM), which provides information to flight crews about hazards, changes to airport facilities and other essential information.
The system is used by pilots before they take off, meaning that there was no risk to flights that had left before the outage, the FAA said.
Airlines and airports had been left scrambling with news of the nationwide pause, as the White House said there was no immediate evidence of a cyberattack.
Near 1430 GMT, a screen at Reagan National Airport was overwhelmingly red with flight delays and just a handful of departures.
“Customers may continue to see some delays and cancellations as we work to restore our schedule,” United Airlines said shortly after the FAA stop order was lifted, adding it would refund customers who no longer wish to travel.
Speaking to reporters, President Joe Biden said that he had been briefed by the transportation secretary and that “aircraft can still land safely, just not take off right now.”
“They don’t know what the cause of it is, they expect in a couple of hours they’ll have a good sense of what caused it and will respond at that time,” Biden said.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg directed “an after-action process to determine root causes and recommend next steps,” he said on Twitter.
Senator Maria Cantwell, the Democratic Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, also plans follow up.
“The number one priority is safety,” Cantwell said. “As the Committee prepares for FAA reauthorization legislation, we will be looking into what caused this outage and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future outages. The public needs a resilient air transportation system.”
Thousands of delayed flights
The NOTAM system is checked by pilots before they fly, the FAA said.
“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 agency tweeted earlier Wednesday.
The FAA had halted flights until 9:00 am (1400 GMT), but began resuming takeoffs at Newark and Atlanta airports before the nationwide order was lifted due to air traffic congestion.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted that “there is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point.”
“The President directed DOT to conduct a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates,” she said, referring to the Department of Transportation.
There were more than 5,400 flights delayed in the United States by 10:00 am US Eastern time (1500 GMT), flight tracking website Flight Aware data showed.
The halt comes in the wake of a large-scale aviation meltdown in the United States over the Christmas holiday, as a storm brought unseasonably cold temperatures to the majority of the country and caused chaos, with thousands of flights delayed or canceled.
Hard-hit Southwest Airlines canceled more than 15,000 flights over eight days after what it said was a breakdown in its scheduling systems.
International
President Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile
International
President López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series
International
Social media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad
President Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile
President López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series
Social media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
International10 hours agoSocial media star Om Fahad fatally shot in Baghdad
-
International4 days agoThe U.S. Senate approves a military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan
-
International10 hours agoPresident Boric announces curfew following triple police homicide in Chile
-
International10 hours agoDonald Trump agrees to Joe Biden’s debate challenge, proposes White House Venue
-
International4 days agoA plane with two people on board crashes in Alaska
-
International10 hours agoU.S. Intelligence reports Putin likely didn’t order Navalny’s killing
-
International4 days agoBiden believes that Florida voters will vote in favor of protecting access to abortion
-
International10 hours agoPresident López Obrador meets with Astros and Rockies ahead of Mexico City Series
-
Internacionales2 days agoThe indigenous people demand from Lula more speed for the demarcation of their lands
-
International4 days ago
A U.S. media manager says he favored Trump to help him in his 2016 campaign
-
International4 days agoThe Court urges the judge to continue proceeding in the case of Obiang’s son
-
International4 days agoThe Colombian Senate approves the pension reform of the Petro Government
-
International4 days agoArgentine society defends its sensitive fiber before the Government: public education
-
International2 days agoTurkey’s president calls Netanyahu the “butcher of Gaza”
-
International2 days agoThe US sanctions 16 companies and 8 people linked to the Iranian drone program
-
International2 days agoRussia prepared a strategy to support the German far-right, according to Der Spiegel
-
International2 days agoThe US unblocks $6 billion in aid to Ukraine for Patriot missiles and drones
-
International2 days agoKey witness involves Trump in efforts not to be harmed in the elections
-
International2 days agoA court orders the arrest of the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture accused of corruption
-
International2 days agoThe Supreme Court is skeptical of Trump’s immunity but could lengthen the litigation
-
International2 days agoIsraeli bombings in the north and south of Gaza cause fifty deaths
-
International2 days agoAznar and Quiroga defend Israel’s “peace” and “surness” in a world congress in Argentina
-
International4 days agoThe Prosecutor’s Office asks to prevent Peru’s departure from the suspended attorney general Patricia Benavides
-
International2 days agoBlinken asks China not to “help” Russia with the supply of Defense components
-
International2 days agoJosé Andrés demands from the pulpit an independent investigation of the Israeli attack
-
International2 days agoThe Chinese president tells the United States that he has to be “faithful” to his word to solve the “problems to be solved”
-
International2 days agoJosé Mujica maintains that Milei is “very impulsive” and does not doubt that Brazil “will be a power”
-
International2 days ago“War is war,” Petro tells the Central General Staff after the death of 15 dissidents
-
International4 days agoAmnesty International warns that the world is on the verge of the collapse of international law
-
International2 days agoThe UN denounces widespread arrests of young Iranians in the new campaign to impose the veil
-
International4 days agoThe United States will compensate the victims of former doctor Larry Nassar with 138.7 million dollars
-
International4 days agoNoboa proclaims victory in the referendum and assures that Ecuador said “‘Yes’ to the future”
-
International4 days agoMaduro invites to return to the UN office for human rights, expelled from Venezuela in February