Air traffic is finally up and running after the failure of the Notification of Air Mission System (NOTAM) that caused numerous delays and more than 500 flights taking off from U.S. airports to be canceled, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Update 5: Normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S. following an overnight outage to the Notice to Air Missions system that provides safety info to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted.
We continue to look into the cause of the initial problem
- The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) January 11, 2023
The first airports to resume operations were Newark (New Jersey) and Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta). The cause has not been clarified and the investigation is still under way. In addition, the FAA communicated that pilots already in the air were safe to land, because they would have already checked the affected system before takeoff:
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
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed that airport activity was up and running:
FAA has determined that the safety system affected by the overnight outage is fully restored, and the nationwide ground stop will be lifted effective immediately. I have directed an after-action process to determine root causes and recommend next steps.
- Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) January 11, 2023
What is the NOTAM system?
The Notification of Air Missions System (NOTAM) is a computerized system that alerts aircraft pilots and other flight personnel about en-route hazards or changes in airport facility services or procedures, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
