Travelers trying to get out of airports in the Washington, D.C., area Wednesday dealt with dozens of delayed or canceled flights after a computer system failure led to a nationwide pause on departures.
The Federal Aviation Administration said normal air traffic operations are “resuming gradually” after it ordered departures to stop until 9 a.m. as it fixed an issue with a computer system that shares important information with pilots before takeoff.
"We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem," the FAA said.
Niyah Brooks went through security at Reagan National Airport and found out her 6:50 a.m. flight was delayed at the gate.
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"They said it was going to leave at 7:30, but now I don't have any updates," she told News4's Dominique Moody. "I was honestly shocked because of everything that happened with Southwest."
At about noon, flight tracking website Flight Aware listed 125 delays and 37 cancellations out of Reagan National Airport, Dulles International Airport and Baltimore Washington International Airport.
Transportation
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At the peak of the chaos, Reagan National Airport reported more than 80 delays; Dulles International Airport reported more than 40 delays and Baltimore Washington International Airport reported more than 120 delays, according to Flight Aware.
Both Dulles and Reagan National said they experienced flight delays and urged passengers to check with their airline to see if their trip is affected. BWI also urged travelers to check with their airlines.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Administration referred News4 to the FAA for comment.
FAA Says Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs) Outage at Root of Flight Chaos
Flights across the U.S. are affected after the Federal Aviation Administration reported an outage impacting the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAMs), the agency said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said there's no evidence of a cyberattack at this point, but President Joe Biden directed the Department of Transportation to do a full investigation.
NOTAM is a key system that provides safety information to pilots, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.
"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 said, adding that flights in the air were safe to land.
What Airlines Say About the FAA Outage
United Airlines said it issued a travel waiver allowing travelers to change their plans. Here's more information.
Delta said it "is safely focused on managing our operation during this morning's FAA ground stop for all carriers."
American Airlines said it's "closely monitoring the situation and working with the FAA to minimize customer disruptions." JetBlue also said it's aware and warned of delays.
Southwest Airlines said it's closely monitoring a data issue that may impact the start of operations. Passengers are encouraged to check for flight changes via the company's website or app.
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