Thousands of domestic US flights were delayed or cancelled on Wednesday when air authorities grounded planes following a malfunction in a key system used by pilots before take-off.
The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, said the disruption stemmed from problems with the Notice to Air Missions system — Notam — which conveys advisory information essential for flight operations, including alerting pilots to hazards and providing a range of updates, from information on broken equipment to airport construction.
Passengers complained on social media of flight delays and last-minute cancellations, with some saying their pilots could not gain access to flight paths.
The systems failure is one of the most significant in recent decades and comes after a year of tests for the nation’s air system, as the industry continues to deal with the fallout from the pandemic.
The cause of the malfunction was still being investigated, though the White House said there was no evidence of a cyber attack.
A trade group representing the US travel industry called the FAA system failure “catastrophic”.
“America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades,” Geoff Freeman, president of the US Travel Association, said in a statement.
“We call on federal policymakers to modernise our vital air travel infrastructure.”
John Cox, a former airline pilot and aviation safety expert, said there has been talk in the aviation industry for years about modernising the Notam system, but he did not know the age of the servers that the FAA uses.
He did not rule out the possibility of a cyber attack.
“I’ve been flying 53 years. I’ve never heard the system go down like this,” Mr Cox told The Associated Press. “So something unusual happened.”
Senate Commerce Committee chairwoman Maria Cantwell said the panel would investigate the issue.
“We will be looking into what caused this power cut and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future power cut,” she said.
More than 5,400 flights were delayed and 900 cancelled, according to website FlightAware, and officials said it would take hours to recover from the incident.
By midday on Wednesday in the US, operations were getting back to normal.
Melanie Thigpen, who was heading from Atlanta to Washington, told AP that she learnt of the delays while en route to the airport.
“I really didn't know till I was on my way here that it was a big issue and then I looked it up. And then I sort of get super stressed out because, like I said, I have a meeting at 4pm and, you know, if I don't make it, I don't make it,” she said.
The Notam failure affected tens of thousands of passengers across the US, but international flights coming into the country continued to mostly operate without widespread cancellations.
A Paris airports spokeswoman said: “At this stage, there have been no flight cancellations but some delays are to be expected.”
Flights bound for the US were delayed in Madrid, Reuters reported.
The FAA's system malfunction comes weeks after an operational meltdown at Southwest at the end of last year left thousands of passengers stranded.
A severe winter storm right before Christmas, coupled with the Texas-based carrier's dated technology, led to more than 16,000 flight cancellations last month.
According to FAA advisories, the Notam system failed at 8.28pm ET on Tuesday, preventing new or amended notices from being distributed to pilots.
The FAA resorted to a telephone hotline to keep planes flying overnight, but as daytime traffic picked up, the telephone system was overwhelmed.
“Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the US following an overnight power cut to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted,” the FAA later announced on Twitter.
US President Joe Biden addressed the issue on Wednesday before leaving the White House, saying he had been briefed by Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told him they had still not identified what went wrong.
“I told him to report directly to me when they find out. Air traffic can still land safely, just not take off right now. We don’t know what the cause of it is,” Mr Biden said.
Agencies contributed to this report
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera
Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
Company%20Profile
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
Company%20profile
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