Recently, United Airlines abruptly asked the Federal Aviation Administration to ground all of its flights in the U.S. for roughly 40 minutes because of equipment failure. “We are experiencing a systemwide technology issue and are holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights that are already airborne are continuing to their destination as planned,” United Airlines stated in a message on social media.
According to the official Twitter account of the Federal Aviation Administration, “@united asked the FAA to pause the airline’s departures nationwide. For more information, contact United regarding its request and monitor fly.faa.gov for updates.”
.@united asked the FAA to pause the airline’s departures nationwide. For more information, contact United regarding its request and monitor https://t.co/smgdqJN3td for updates.
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) September 5, 2023
“Am aware of the nationwide ground stop at United Airlines due to IT issues,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said. “FAA is currently receiving more information about the cause and scope of the issue, and DOT will make sure UA meets its obligations to affected passengers.”
“Earlier today a software update caused a widespread slowdown in United’s technology systems,” United said in a statement. “We briefly held aircraft at their origin airports and resumed normal operations around 12:45 p.m. CT. Our teams are working to get customers to their destinations as soon as possible.”
The secretary continued, “If you are impacted, flightrights.gov has information about customer service commitments enforced by our department when airline problems cause you to experience major delays or cancellations.”
“I’m in-flight on a cross-country United plane,” Rep Eric Swalwell wrote on social media. “As top Dem on House Cyber Subcommittee I will work to get more information to my constituents on this ground stop and whether it reflects a cyber threat. Standby.”
Airline safety and reliability have become an increasing concern over recent years, as many feel there has been a rise in the number of safety incidents at American airports. The American Tribune reported on a disconcerting case earlier this year where two airplanes “made contact” on a runway.
The incident also happened to involve United Airlines flights. According to a statement from pilot Kyle Bailey, “There are some problems. The incidents, quite frankly, are on the rise. We went from about eight a year and now this year up to about 20 per year or so. The problem is on the rise, and it is a combination of various factors.”
As a result of this increase in safety incidents, the Federal Aviation Administration released a “call to action” earlier this year. While the FAA maintains that we are “experiencing the safest period in aviation history,” it argues that we must remain vigilant to keep the airline industry functional.
According to the statement, “We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted. Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent. Now is the time to stare into the data and ask hard questions. We must ensure that our structure is fit for purpose for the U.S. aerospace system of both today and the future. That’s why I’m forming a safety review team to examine the U.S. aerospace system’s structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts.”
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