Image: B. Tanaka via Getty Images
The Federal Aviation Authority announced on Wednesday morning that every domestic flight departure in the U.S. was paused due to an overnight system outage. According to the agency, the issue affected the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system, which provides airline staff with updates on changes to normal operation status. "The FAA is still working to fully restore the Notice to Air Missions system following an outage," the FAA said in a notice on its website at 7:15 a.m. "The FAA has ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information."As of 8:45 a.m., flight tracking website FlightAware showed over 4,000 flight delays in the U.S., and nearly 700 cancellations.
The FAA tweeted that all flights currently in the air were still able to land, as pilots check the NOTAM system before they take off. It "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 stated. The agency has said flights will resume around 9 a.m.