img#wpstats{display:none}
The US Federal Aviation Authority ordered a temporary halt to all domestic flight departures Wednesday, after a major system outage that disrupted air traffic across the country.
Airlines and airports were left scrambling with news of the nationwide pause, as the White House said there was no immediate evidence of a cyberattack.
The FAA, which paused flights until 9:00 am (1400 GMT), said a key process had been “impaired” after a problem with its Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM), which provides information to flight crews about hazards, changes to airport facilities and other essential information.
The pause, it said, would allow “the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.”
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.
“The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage,” the agency said in a statement, adding that while “some functions are beginning to come back on line, National Airspace System operations remain limited.”
– Thousands of delayed flights –
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.