NOTAM (Notice to Air Missions)

2023

Named the cause of the computer failure, due to which all domestic flights were canceled in the United States

On January 19, 2023, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the reasons for the large-scale failure, due to which all domestic flights were canceled.

On January 11, 2023, massive delays and cancellations of flights began in the United States. Then it was said that the problem was related to the FAA computer system, namely the NOTAM platform, or Notice to Air Missions. It provides crews with flight information and recommendations. It is known that the failure led to the disruption of more than 11,000 flights. And now the department says that there is no evidence of a cyber attack. It is alleged that the problem arose due to the actions of a certain contract service provider. The FAA is working diligently to further identify the causes of this problem and is taking all necessary measures to prevent similar failures from happening again, it said.

The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States named the cause of the computer failure, due to which all domestic flights were canceled in the United States

A preliminary FAA analysis of the NOTAM system failure found that contract staff inadvertently deleted the files while working to correct synchronization between the current primary database and the backup, the official notice said.

However, such a failure leaves many questions. In particular, a group of more than 120 US lawmakers sent a letter to the FAA that shutting down the NOTAM computer system was "completely unacceptable." The fact is that such incidents pose a threat to the lives of airline passengers. The FAA is now required to explain how management will avoid such situations in the future.

The agency has so far found no evidence of cyberattack or malice. The US Federal Aviation Administration continues to investigate the circumstances of the incident. The FAA has made the necessary restoration work and taken measures to improve the fault tolerance of the NOTAM system, the FAA said in a notice.[1]

Failure, due to which all domestic flights to the United States are postponed

On January 11, 2023, massive delays and cancellations of flights began in the United States. The reason was a serious failure in the computer system of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The official notice says the issue is related to the NOTAM platform, or Notice to Air Missions. It provides crews with the necessary flight information and recommendations.

In the United States, domestic flights have been postponed due to a failure in the IT system

The Airlines for America Association, which represents U.S. airlines, says the shutdown of NOTAM "causes significant operational delays." Large American air carriers, including United Airlines, Delta and American Airlines, note that due to the current situation, many flights were forced to be postponed. FlightAware said the disruption has delayed more than 4,000 flights to and from the United States, as well as domestically. Another 700 flights have been completely canceled. At the same time, international flights to the United States continue to operate from Amsterdam and Paris. A spokesman for Schiphol Airport said "a workaround has been proposed."

FAA specialists find out the causes of what happened and work to eliminate the failure. It is not yet clear whether the shutdown of NOTAM is the result of a cyber attack. The FAA does not give any comment on this issue. US President Joe Biden said he was informed about the situation and contacted Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Earlier, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that "at the moment there is no evidence of a cyber attack."

The FAA is still working to fully restore the air mission notification system after a failure. Departures resume at Newark-Liberty and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airports. The agency continues to investigate the cause of the initial problem, the agency said in an official statement.[2]

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