New York, USA.- A computer failure in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, for its acronym in English) affects all flights in the United States.
Shortly before 7:00 a.m. Eastern time in the US (6:00 a.m. Central Mexico time), there were about 1,200 delayed flights in the US, bound for that country or that would leave the country, according to the website of FlightAware flight tracking.
The FAA has ordered airlines to suspend all domestic departures until 9 am Eastern (8:00 am Mexico time), to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information.
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, said there is no evidence of a cyberattack at this time, but that President Biden has ordered a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates.
The FAA explained in a tweet that it was working to restore what is known as the Notification System for Air Missions (NOTAM).
“We are performing final validation checks and restarting the system,” the agency said.
“Operations throughout US airspace are affected.”
The NOTAM used to be available through a telephone line, but it was phased out with the internet.
Alerts range from routine information about airport works to urgent flight restrictions or broken equipment.
Service interruption may cause widespread disruption. All aircraft must pass through the system, including commercial and military flights.
The agency said it would provide frequent updates as progress is made.
