Since this morning, all US air traffic has been blocked due to a computer failure. To report it is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which made the announcement on its own social channels. Meanwhile the White House has ordered a thorough investigation to establish the causes of the anomaly. In fact, it is not excluded that the problem may have been generated by a cyberattack.
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What’s happening in the USA: air traffic blocked for hours
The first tweet from the Federal Aviation Administration was published around 12:30 Italian time today (January 11, 2023). In the post – which you find below – the FAA writes that “system validation checks are underway”. It also informs that the problem affects the entire national airspace. Twitter has also been invaded by posts from travellers, who obviously complain of inefficiencies. Flight delays in the US appear to number over 3,500.
The FAA is working to restore its Notice to Air Missions System. We are performing final validation checks and reloading the system now.
Operations across the National Airspace System are affected.
We will provide frequent updates as we make progress.
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023
In a subsequent tweet, published about twenty minutes later, the FAA announces the restoration of some system functions, while confirming that operations remain limited. Take-offs are therefore prohibited.
Cleared Update No. 2 for all stakeholders: ⁰⁰The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage. ⁰⁰While some functions are beginning to come back on line, National Airspace System operations remain limited.
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023
In the latest update, published approximately 40 minutes before this article was written, the FAA informs that all aircraft in flight can now safely begin landing operations.
All flights currently in the sky are safe to land. Pilots check the NOTAM system before they fly. A Notice to Air Missions alerts pilots about closed runways, equipment outages, and other potential hazards along a flight route or at a location that could affect the flight.
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023
Joe Biden orders the investigation: error or cyber attack?
At the time of writing to you, it seems impossible to have a clear picture of the situation. The only certainty we have is that all flights have been postponed and that US air traffic has been temporarily blocked.
In the meantime Karine Jean-Pierre, a White House spokesman, said President Joe Biden had been made aware of the situation and would order an investigation into the causes of the disruption. “At this moment – said Jean-Pierre – there is no evidence of a cyberattack, but the president has given instructions to the Department of Transport for a full investigation into the causes. The FAA will provide regular updates.”
Subsequently Joe Biden himself intervened, who declared:
“I just spoke to Pete Buttigieg [attuale Segretario dei Trasporti, ndr], still don’t know the causes, I asked to report directly to me as soon as they find out. They expect that in a couple of hours they will have a clearer idea of what caused the blockage. At that point we will be able to provide you with the necessary answers. However, at the moment, the planes can all land safely, but they cannot take off.”
We will obviously keep you updated when certain sources become available.