Airlines expect US ops to rebound as probe opens on system outage
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US AIRLINES said they expected operations to return to normal on Thursday (Jan 12), as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scrambled to pinpoint the cause of a computer outage that grounded flights across the nation.
However, FlightAware data showed that 511 flights were delayed and 63 were cancelled early on Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, more than 11,300 flights were delayed or cancelled. It was the first national grounding of domestic traffic in about two decades.
Major carriers such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they expected normal operations to resume on Thursday.
Shares of American Airlines were down about 1 per cent in pre-market data. The company was not immediately available for comments.
The FAA computer failure prevented airports from filing updated safety notices that warn pilots of potential hazards such as runway closures, equipment outages and construction, bringing flights to a temporary halt.
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FAA officials said a preliminary review traced the problem to a damaged database file, but added there was no evidence of a cyberattack and the investigation was continuing.
The same file corrupted both the main system and its backup, said people familiar with the review, who requested anonymity.
Democratic senator Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said that the panel would investigate the matter. Republican senator Ted Cruz called the failure “completely unacceptable”.
Bernstein, a brokerage, said: “The modernisation of the FAA will be expensive, and will be paid for through a combination of taxes on air travel that affect all carriers and efficiencies by larger airlines.”
Arjun Garg, former FAA chief counsel and acting deputy administrator, said that it was premature to draw conclusions about the event, but the agency was right to ground flights if a safety system was not operational.
He added that the incident was a reminder that the FAA is subject to an annual appropriation cycle, making it difficult to plan and execute major, multi-year projects such as air-traffic control upgrades.
“The health of that agency and its ability to deliver on its mission is really important. It’s a high-profile matter.”
The FAA has been without a permanent administrator since March. The Senate has not held a hearing on President Joe Biden’s pick to head the agency, Denver International Airport chief executive Phil Washington, who was renominated last week. REUTERS
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