All flights across America are grounded, leaving passengers stranded after the FAA systems went down

All flights through the US have been grounded due to a problem with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) computer system, US media reports.

A statement from the FAA said: “The FAA is working to restore its Notice to Air Missions system.

“We are now conducting final validation checks and repopulating the system. Operations throughout the National Airspace System are affected.

‘We will provide regular updates as we make progress.’

The Air Traffic Control Signaling System Advisory also issued a statement today

A plane takes off from Miami International Airport (File Photo)

The FAA issued a statement

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) system, which alerts pilots and other flight personnel to hazards or changes to airport facilities and relevant procedures, was not processing updated information, the Civil Aviation Administration’s website showed on Wednesday.

In a recommendation, the FAA said its NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions) system was “down.” There was no immediate estimate of when it would be available again, the website showed, although NOTAMs issued prior to the outage were still viewable.

Over 400 flights were delayed within, into or out of the United States as of 5:31 a.m. ET Wednesday, flight-tracking website FlightAware showed. It wasn’t immediately clear if the failure was a factor.

“Technicians are currently working to restore the system,” the website said. The FAA was not immediately available for further comment.

A NOTAM is a notice containing information that is important to personnel involved in flight operations but is not known well in advance to be published in any other way.

The information can be up to 200 pages for long-haul international flights and can include items such as runway closures, general bird warnings or low-level obstructions.

Federal officials said Tuesday they will require charter airlines, air tour operators and plane manufacturers to develop detailed systems to identify potential safety issues before accidents happen.

The Federal Aviation Administration said safety management systems have made traveling on major airlines safer since their introduction was required in 2018.

“Expanding safety management systems to other players in the airline industry will reduce accidents and incidents and save lives,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates accidents, has pushed for more widespread adoption of such systems.

In 2020, Congress directed the FAA to require it for airplane manufacturers after two fatal crashes involving Boeing 737 Max planes. The FAA said its proposal went further Tuesday by including smaller passenger carriers.

To justify expanding the requirement to include smaller airlines, the FAA cited incidents including a 2015 seaplane crash near Ketchikan, Alaska, that killed the pilot and all eight passengers.

The NTSB blamed pilot error and the company’s lack of a formal safety program.

The FAA said Tuesday that the company would have taken steps that could have prevented the accident had the proposed rule been in effect, including appointing a manager responsible for safety risk assessment.

The FAA has a explainer on Safety Management Systems, which has been a growing trend in aviation over the past several years.