The Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) activated its backup system for relaying safety alerts to pilots late Saturday, following a temporary outage of the primary Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the situation, reassuring that the National Airspace System remains unaffected by the malfunction.
On social media, Mr. Duffy noted that while the primary NOTAM system is down, the backup system is currently operational. NOTAMs provide crucial updates about airborne and ground hazards, such as runway closures and airspace restrictions. The F.A.A. is actively working to rectify the issue, with Duffy committing to update the public on the status of the system every 30 minutes.
He did, however, caution travelers about potential "residual" delays on flights anticipated for Sunday morning as a result of the outage. The United States' national airspace system spans over 29 million square miles, encompassing both regulated and free airspace across the country and its waters.
The F.A.A. has been in the midst of modernizing its NOTAM system, which has faced similar outages in the past. A previous incident in January 2023 caused significant disruptions, halting departures nationwide for approximately 90 minutes.
This ongoing situation is being closely monitored as the agency works to restore its primary alert system. Updates are expected to follow as the F.A.A. continues to address this issue.
