Airlines expect U.S. operations to rebound on Thursday as FAA investigates outage

WASHINGTON - U.S. airlines said they expect operations to return to normal on Thursday, as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) scrambles to pinpoint the cause of a computer outage that grounded flights nationally and to prevent it from happening again. 511 U.S. flights, however, were delayed and 63 were canceled as of Thursday early morning, according to FlightAware. More than 11,300 flights were delayed or canceled on Wednesday in the first national grounding of domestic traffic in about two decades. Major carriers such as Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they expected normal operations on Thursday. Shares of American Airlines, which was not immediately available for a comment, were down about 1% premarket. The FAA computer failure prevented airports from filing updated safety notices that warn pilots of potential hazards such as runway closures, equipment outages and construction, bringing flights to a temporary halt. FAA officials said a preliminary review traced the problem to a damaged database file, but added there was no evidence of a cyberattack and the investigation was continuing. The same file corrupted both the main system and its backup, said people familiar with the review, who asked not to be identified. U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, a Democrat, said the panel would investigate. Republican Senator Ted Cruz called the failure "completely unacceptable." "The modernization of the FAA will be expensive, and will be paid for through a combination of taxes on air travel that affect all carriers and efficiencies by larger airlines," brokerage Bernstein said in a note. Arjun Garg, former FAA chief counsel and acting deputy administrator, said that it was premature to draw any conclusions about the event, but that the agency was right to ground flights if a safety system was not operational. Garg, now a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, said the incident was a reminder that the FAA was subject to an annual appropriation cycle, making it difficult to plan and execute major multiyear projects such as air traffic control upgrades. "The health of that agency and its ability to deliver on its mission really is important," he said in an interview. "It's a high-profile matter." The FAA has been without a permanent administrator since March. The Senate has not held a hearing on President Joe Biden's pick to head the agency, Denver International Airport Chief Executive Phil Washington, who was renominated last week. (Reporting by David Shepardson and Rajesh Kumar Singh, additional reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram; writing by Jamie Freed; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Shailesh Kuber)

Airlines expect U.S. operations to rebound on Thursday as FAA investigates outage

DISCOVER MORE

Rare pink diamond worth $35mln set for auction in New York

US FDA approves first OTC opioid overdose reversal drug

Investors pull $1.6bln from Binance after CFTC lawsuit

Musk and experts call for halt in 'giant AI experiments'

US expects Biden's nominee, Ajay Banga, to be elected as World Bank chief

Biden vows funds, tech alliance to stop democratic backsliding

Canadian teenager McIntosh sets 400m freestyle world record

In a country awash with guns, how Americans try to keep students safe

Five African cities hold more than 50% of continent's private wealth

AI may affect 300mln full-time jobs: Goldman Sachs

UAE approves 24 national initiatives to double re-export industry

BP and UAE's ADNOC bid for stake in NewMed Energy

UAE banking sector to remain stable in 2023 – KPMG

United Airlines launches nonstop service from New York to Dubai

United Airlines launches nonstop service between New York-Newark and Dubai

Saudi’s MATARAT Holding, France’s Egis sign 3-year contract for technical and project management services

ICAO approves new standards for safer air transport

Etihad Airways launches daily flights To Kolkata

LATEST VIDEO

VIDEO: Why is China's Belt and Road Initiative facing setbacks?

ZAWYA COVERAGE

UAE President appoints Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, deputy rulers

Middle East, Asia-Pacific airfares surge 53%, pose threat to recovery of aviation sector - ACI

DP World develops edible oil terminal at Port of Berbera

Maldives airport temporarily shut down after Flydubai aircraft suffers tire burst on landing

DFM introduces 'Omnibus Accounts' to enhance market access

Portugal's rents hit record high amid cost of living crisis

Egypt to raise allocation for food subsidies by 20% in FY 2023/24 draft budget

IMF and Seychelles reach over $100mln staff-level agreement

Nuclear row looms over EU renewable energy talks

THE BRI REPORT

China is reshaping the Belt and Road Initiative ahead of a post-pandemic era

DISCOVER MORE

LATEST VIDEO

ZAWYA NEWSLETTERS

ZAWYA COVERAGE