Status: 01/12/2023 05:58 am
According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, a faulty file was to blame for the system failure that caused all domestic flights to be halted for 90 minutes on Wednesday. There is currently no evidence of a cyber attack.
According to the first findings of the aviation authority, the disruption in US air traffic is apparently due to a faulty database file. The FAA said there was no evidence of a hacker attack. But the investigations were still ongoing.
The faulty file not only affected the main system but also the backup system, people familiar with the investigation said.
90-minute stop on all domestic flights
Transport Minister Pete Buttigieg said on CNN that after the failure of the Notam (Notice to Air Missions) system, which is important for pilots to prepare for flights, the emergency system had started. But there were doubts as to whether it would run smoothly. A complete restart was therefore necessary, which prompted the FAA to stop all domestic flights for 90 minutes.
So far, 9,600 flights have been delayed due to the disruption, and more than 1,300 have been canceled, according to data from the FlightAware flight tracker. However, the number could still increase, and there are still impairments. Airlines expect air traffic to return to normal today. The impact on long-haul flights between the US and Europe was minor.
System informs about restrictions and dangers
Pilots use the Notam to find out about planned restrictions and short-term dangers on the route or changes in the technical processes at airports. For example, they find out whether there are airspace closures after volcanic eruptions or because of military conflicts, as is currently the case in Europe because of the Ukraine war.
Notam used to be over the phone, and when it went down on Tuesday evening (US Eastern Time), it had to be switched back to a phone hotline. That went well overnight, but in the morning the number of flights was no longer manageable.
Outdated vulnerable computer system
Hundreds of flights were canceled in the United States just over Christmas due to a winter storm and missing crews at Southwest Airlines. However, experts said they did not believe that such a massive flight cancellation had ever been caused by a technological problem. “I don’t remember the notam system ever breaking down like that,” said John Cox, a former airline pilot turned aviation safety consultant. “I’ve been flying for 53 years.”
The former American Airlines top manager Tim Campbell made a similar statement. “Intermittently there have been localized problems here and there, but this is historically quite significant,” he said. There have been concerns about the notam system for a long time. While it’s fundamentally reliable, it’s just outdated, Campbell said.
Computer failure at the flight control authority – hundreds of flights affected
Claudia Sarre, ARD Washington, January 11, 2023 5:50 p.m