FAA system outage resolved, flights gradually resuming
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- An FAA computer glitch affected morning flights and the ripple effect was still felt into the day on Wednesday.
Just before 6:30 a.m., the FAA announced they were working to restore their Notice to Air Missions System, which is a system crucial to those involved in flight operations around the country.
Flights were ground across the U.S. as the agency worked to bring the system back online by 9 a.m.
FAA has determined that the safety system affected by the overnight outage is fully restored, and the nationwide ground stop will be lifted effective immediately. I have directed an after-action process to determine root causes and recommend next steps.
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) January 11, 2023
As of yet, no one knows what brought on this system failure, but after being briefed, President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have ruled out a cyberattack.
In Pittsburgh, while no departing flights were canceled, many were delayed, leaving people like Linda Giles, who was trying to head home to North Carolina, surprised that she had to wait.
"I was shocked at first and then I wondered about a cyberattack. But then immediately, I calmed myself, because no use getting scarred till you know that facts," Giles said.
And while Giles was traveling to North Carolina, her daughters were headed first to New York and then onto Europe. But they said they planned for just this type of situation.
"We booked a long layover in JFK for this sort of thing, and knowing that it was changing terminals and all of that. So I am fairly confident we'll still make it," Wendy Lunko said.
Update 3: The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage.⁰⁰The FAA has ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023
Though this family and many families had to wait at their perspective airports, by 9 a.m., things were back operating at a normal pace.
Airport officials said that when something like this happens, whether it is a computer glitch or a weather event, it causes a ripple effect that can be felt for hours, if not days.
Things are getting back on track at Pittsburgh International Airport, but no doubt, this episode is just another headache in a season full of travel woes.