Flight delays in US after FAA computer outage

NEW YORK (AP) — Flights are being delayed at multiple locations across the United States after a computer outage at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Just before 7 a.m. Eastern, there were nearly 1,200 delayed flights within, into or out of the United States, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

Most delays were concentrated along the East Coast.

The agency said in a tweet that it was working on restoring its Notice to Air Missions System.

“We are performing final validation checks and reloading the system now,” the FAA said. “Operations across the National Airspace System are affected.”

The FAA is working to restore what is known as the Notice to Air Missions System.

NOTAMs used to be available through a hotline but that was phased out with the internet. The alerts span from mundane information about construction at airports to urgent flight restrictions or broken equipment.

There is a potential for widespread disruption because of the outage. All aircraft are required to route through the system, including commercial and military flights.

Worth noting that this will be broader than just commercial airlines. All users of the airspace system are required to check Morand before flight. This will affect the military, civilian drone pilots, etc.

The agency said that it would provide frequent updates as it made progress.

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AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.