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The agency lifts its ground stop, saying flights ‘are resuming gradually.’
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted an order to ground all flights across the United States shortly before 9 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday after a system failure left pilots, airlines and airports without crucial safety information for hours. The agency said that “normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the U.S.”
Here’s what to know:
More than 5,000 flights within, into or out of the United States had been delayed on Wednesday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. The delays were spread across the country and affected multiple carriers.
Passengers across the country said their plans had been scuttled, with airport employees sometimes knowing little more than passengers.
President Biden said that he had spoken with Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, and that he had asked him to report back when a cause for the failure had been identified. There was no evidence of a cyberattack, the White House said.The F.A.A. is currently without a permanent leader.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s troubles on Wednesday occurred at a time when the agency is without permanent leadership.
Last week, President Biden renominated his choice to lead the agency, Phillip A. Washington, who is currently the chief executive of Denver International Airport. Mr. Washington has faced an uncertain path to confirmation and did not receive a confirmation hearing in the Senate last year.
The F.A.A. has lacked a permanent leader since the end of March, when Stephen Dickson, a former Delta Air Lines executive who was appointed by President Donald J. Trump, stepped down about halfway through his five-year term. Since then, Billy Nolen, the F.A.A.’s top safety official, has led the agency on an interim basis.
Mr. Biden nominated Mr. Washington last year to be F.
