American Airlines flights resume after IT outage causes grounding in US

American Airlines flights that were not already in the air were grounded across the United States on Tuesday (local time) due to an IT outage, according to an advisory issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The outage was later restored and flights resumed normal operations after a short stop.

“We are aware of the technical issue and have engaged our IT team to resolve it as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the airline said in a post on X.

Online users also complained that the airline’s website and app were also crashing.

A ground stop notice issued by the FAA meant that flights could depart until the problem was fully resolved. The announcement came amid a string of U.S. East Coast airports experiencing delays and shutdowns due to the storms.

The FAA announced Monday morning that it is slowing flights to three airports in the New York City area, as well as Philadelphia International Airport, due to inclement weather and a shortage of air traffic personnel.

Staffing issues at the New York Air Traffic Control Center affected flights at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports. Reuters, citing FlightAware, reported that around 15-20% of flights were either delayed or canceled at these airports.

“A technology issue briefly affected the connectivity of some of our systems on Tuesday evening,” American Airlines said in a statement. He added: “Systems are now back online and flights are departing again. We have set up a temporary ground stop while our teams work to resolve the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers.”

Flight-tracking website FlightAware said American Airlines had to delay 1,100 flights, about 30% of its flights on Tuesday, while canceling a total of 221, or 6% of its flights. According to Reuters, Flightradar24 reported that as of 7 p.m. ET, 130 fewer flights were in the air than at the same time last week.

The FAA wants planes equipped to withstand 5G interference

The FAA said last week that it needs planes to be equipped to withstand interference from 5G wireless signals on neighboring frequencies. This comes as the industry prepares for a planned spectrum auction in 2027.

“The FAA rule will require all altimeters to meet next-generation performance requirements when aircraft equipped with them enter service in the United States,” the agency said last Wednesday, according to a Bloomberg report.

The radio altimeter is a safety device that measures the height of the aircraft and enables take-offs and landings in reduced visibility.