All flights grounded at Newark Airport and nationwide
UPDATE 9:15 A.M.
The FAA has lifted the ground stop that impacted thousands of flights for hours this morning. The order came after a critical safety system that allows pilots to communicate hazards in the air or on the ground.
Airlines are warning of big delays as airports scramble to resume operations and reschedule impacted flights.
The website Flight Aware reports at least 99 flights were cancelled at Newark Liberty International Airport.
President Joe Biden has been briefed, and the White House says he has ordered a full investigation.
There was no initial indication the system outage was the result of a cyber-terrorism attack.
UPDATE 8:42 A.M.
The FAA has cleared Newark Liberty International Airport to resume departures.
Take-offs at all other airports are expected to resume at 9 a.m.
The plane tracking website Flight Aware reports 68 canceled flights out of Newark.
Airlines are warning of substantial delays as a result of this morning's ground stop of all domestic airlines.
UPDATE 8:27 A.M.
It is hoped the FAA will lift the ground stop on take-off of all domestic flights at 9.a.m. Planes currently in the air are being permitted to land.
Airlines are bracing for massive delays and rescheduling nightmares once flights are cleared for take-off.
Check with your airline before you fly, and expect long delays.
UPDATE 8:18 A.M.
All domestic flights remain grounded until at least 9 a.m. The FAA says any flights that are currently in the air, are safe to land.
The computer system that was effected is called the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM). This is the system pilots use to communicate critical safety information about hazards in the air and on the ground.
UPDATE 8 A.M.
All domestic flights remain grounded until at least 9 a.m.
President Joe Biden has ordered a full investigation of the system failure.
No immediate evidence of terrorism.
UPDATE 7:25 A.M.
No planes will take-off until at least 9 a.m.
The FAA has ordered all airlines to pause domestic departures until 9 a.m. Eastern Time to "allow the agency to validate the integrity of flight and safety information."
Once flights do resume, expect major delays.
UPDATE 7:15 a.m.
All flights remain grounded at Newark Liberty International Airport and nationwide. Thousands of flights are impacted.
The FAA tweeted that progress continues to be made on the computer system that failed. The failure impacted pilots' ability to share information.
"While some functions are beginning to come back on line, National Airspace System operations remain limited," the FAA said.
United Airlines, Newark's largest carrier, confirmed all their flights were grounded at Newark, but offered no estimate when flights would resume.
UPDATE 6:45 a.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration appears to be making progress restoring the computer system that resulted in the grounding of all flights.
In a tweet, the FAA says "final validation checks" are currently being performed the system is being reloaded.
Original Post 6:33 a.m.
All flights have been grounded at Newark Liberty International Airport and nationwide due to a computer crash at the Federal Aviation Administration.
The failure is being described as a catastrophic system error, and no estimate has been provided on a possible restoration time.
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center has warned travelers to brace for long flight delays.
This is a breaking news story. Keep checking for more details.
Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com
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