All US flights have reportedly been grounded due to a major Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system failure, with tens of thousands of flights scheduled to depart the US on Wednesday (11 January).
According to reports in the US national press, the FAA’s "Notice to Air Missions" (Notam) system crashed on Wednesday morning.
The system alerts pilots and other flight personnel about hazards or any changes to airport services or procedures.
An FAA advisory, issued during the early hours of Wednesday morning, stated the Notam system had "failed".
"Technicians are currently working to restore the system and there is no estimate for restoration of service at this time," it read.
According to flight schedule analyst Cirium, there were more than 21,000 flights scheduled to depart US airports on Wednesday.
A British Airways spokesperson told TTG: "Our flights to and from the US are continuing to operate as planned. We advise customers to check ba.com for the latest flight information."
In a statement provided to US news network NBC, the FAA said it was "working to restore" its Notam system.
"We are performing final validation checks and repopulating the system now," said the FAA, suggesting a fix was imminent.
However, the statement went on to confirm the extent of the glitch’s impact" Operations across the National Airspace System are affected," added the FAA.
In total, 21,464 flights were due to depart US airports on Wednesday, providing nearly three million seats.
American Airlines had the most scheduled departures on Wednesday (4,819) followed by Delta Air Lines and then Southwest Airlines.
More to follow.