Temporary Outage of Key U.S. Pilot Messaging System Sparks Concern

A temporary outage of the U.S. NOTAM system could lead to flight delays, as stated by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. While there is currently no impact on the National Airspace System due to a backup, the FAA has set up a communication hotline and will provide regular updates.

A temporary outage of a crucial U.S. pilot messaging system, known as the Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) system, has raised concerns over potential flight delays. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed the issue late on Saturday, revealing efforts to restore the system.

Despite the outage, there is no impact on the National Airspace System at present, thanks to a backup system in place, Duffy stated. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated a dedicated hotline to keep aviation stakeholders informed and plans to release status updates every 30 minutes.

This incident brings to memory the January 2023 NOTAM system outage, which resulted in the first nationwide U.S. groundstop since 2001, affecting over 11,000 flights.

(With inputs from agencies.)