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  • What is NOTAM, the FAA computer system that halted all US flights? | CNN Business

    What is NOTAM, the FAA computer system that halted all US flights? | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    A critical Federal Aviation Administration computer system that experienced an outage Wednesday and briefly halted all US flights provides airlines with a digital bulletin board of crucial safety updates.

    The system is known as the Notice to Air Missions or NOTAM. It send alerts to pilots to let them know of conditions that could affect the safety of their flights. It is separate from the air traffic control system that keeps planes a safe distance from each other, but it’s another critical tool for air safety.

    NOTAM messages could include information about lights being out on a certain runway, or a tower near an airport not having the required safety lights working, or an air show taking place in the air space nearby.

    “It’s like telling a trucker that a road is closed up ahead. It’s critical information,” said Mike Boyd, aviation consultant at Boyd Group International.

    Boyd and others said Wednesday’s problems are a sign that computer systems need to be upgraded.

    “Today’s FAA catastrophic system failure is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades,” said Geoff Freeman, CEO of the US Travel Association, a trade group for the travel and tourism industries. “Americans deserve an end-to-end travel experience that is seamless and secure. And our nation’s economy depends on a best-in-class air travel system.”

    Although many flights take place without needing to see one of those notices, it’s important that NOTAM messages reach the pilots, who are trained to check for them.

    The FAA also operates the nation’s air traffic control system, with air traffic controllers using radar to track all planes in their air space and radio communications with their cockpits to guide them safely. The computer systems that are the backbone of ATC system have also been known to go down. But when that happens, it typically only affects one region of country, not the entire nation’s air space.

    NOTAM is a national system, so its failure Wednesday meant that flights across the country were ordered not to take off for a couple of hours before they were cleared to fly again shortly before 9 am ET.

    If no new problems crop up, flights should return to normal soon, though it may take time to get all the delayed flights in the air. Just before noon ET Wednesday, tracking service FlightAware shows about 7,000 delayed flights to, from and within the United States, with nearly 1,100 canceled flights altogether.

    Aviation analytics firm Circium said 23,000 domestic and international flights to or from the United States were scheduled for Wednesday.

    “By 6 pm this evening we won’t even know it happened, I think,” said Boyd.

    But if the problem stretches too long, flight crews who are standing by to fly delayed flights will run out of time in their service day. In that case, a delayed flight could turn into a canceled one if another fresh crew can’t be found.

    NOTAMS has been around for decades. But until December 2021, it was known by the name “Notice to Airmen,” although the acronym remains the same.

    It was changed to remove the gendered term and because the notices were also then being sent to drone operators and not just pilots on board aircraft.

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  • FAA is years away from upgrading the system that grounded all US flights | CNN Business

    FAA is years away from upgrading the system that grounded all US flights | CNN Business

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    Washington
    CNN
     — 

    The Federal Aviation Administration software that failed Wednesday causing thousands of flight delays and cancellations is 30 years old and at least six years away from being updated, a government source familiar with the situation tells CNN.

    The Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) database failure triggered the FAA to implement the first nationwide stop of air traffic in more than 20 years.

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has held multiple meetings with top FAA officials since Wednesday’s meltdown and “has made it very clear” he wants the NOTAM database updated much faster than the FAA’s planned timeline, the source tells CNN.

    “The core operating system for the database has been around since the 1990s,” the source said. “Regardless of the improvements made to the system in recent years, it still has the heart of an 89-year-old man.”

    In its budget estimate for 2023, the FAA requested $29.4 million for its Aeronautical Information Management Program, which includes the NOTAM system. Describing the system, the administration said it needs to “eliminate the failing vintage hardware that currently supports that function in the national airspace system.”

    Meanwhile, the FAA is stuck addressing new technology, including drones and electric helicopters, with its outdated technology, the source said.

    “We need to bring equipment online a lot faster than we are,” the source said, noting a big investment is required because it’s far more complicated than an over-the-air iOS update. “It’s gone on for years.”

    CNN has reached out to the FAA for comment on updates to the NOTAM system to date and its modernization timeline.

    Late Wednesday, the FAA continued to downplay the possibility of a cyberattack as the root cause of the system failure. Instead, It pointed to a damaged database file. The FAA says it is “working diligently to further pinpoint the causes” to avoid a repeat.

    An investigation at the direction of Secretary Buttigieg has still not determined the origin of the corrupted file, the government source told CNN.

    The failure is expected to be a main sticking point as the FAA enters its federal funding reauthorization process — especially with the GOP now in control of the House. The FAA is already taking criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

    Airlines, fielding their own share of government criticism for schedule collapses, have also sounded the alarm about a lack of funding, limited staffing, and outdated FAA technology.

    During a September US Chamber of Commerce event, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told CNN’s Pete Muntean that the aviation industry should rally around the FAA following a summer marred by flight cancelations and delays.

    “The FAA needs more funding,” Kirby said in an on-stage interview before aviation leaders. “They need more investment for technology.”

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  • Flight disruptions: Florida hit by air traffic control issue; Denver by freezing fog | CNN

    Flight disruptions: Florida hit by air traffic control issue; Denver by freezing fog | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Two far-apart states are seeing fresh air travel problems on Monday.

    Air traffic control issues triggered hours-long flight delays to Florida airports, the Federal Aviation Administration told CNN. And the main airport in Denver, Colorado, is seeing substantial cancellations and delays because of a fresh round of winter weather.

    Late Monday afternoon, the FAA told CNN that the issue in Florida was resolved.

    “The FAA is working toward safely returning to a normal traffic rate in the Florida airspace,” the agency said in a statement.

    Earlier in the day, the FAA told CNN that it had “slowed the volume of air traffic into Florida airspace due to an air traffic computer issue.”

    A publicly available airspace status notice showed flight delays early Monday afternoon averaging nearly three hours with a maximum delay up to six hours.

    The FAA said the issue was with the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system at the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center.

    That center is responsible for controlling millions of cubic miles of airspace for commercial flights over Florida.

    A spokesperson for Miami International Airport attributed delays there to a Florida-wide “FAA computer system issue.”

    The FAA said earlier that Monday would be a busy post-Christmas travel day with 42,000 flights scheduled, “with possible heavier volume from south to north.”

    Some of Florida’s key airports serving tourists have been affected by the air traffic computer problem, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

    They include Miami International Airport (MIA), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) and Orlando International Airport (MCO).

    About 750 flights originating or destined for the Denver International Airport were either delayed or canceled Monday because of inclement weather, according to FlightAware.

    As of 4:20 p.m. ET, about 285 flights set to depart Denver International were delayed, and almost 130 flights were canceled, FlightAware said. Almost 215 flights set to arrive, were delayed and just over 130 were canceled.

    According to CNN Weather, Denver has been reporting freezing fog with temperatures in the 20s since 6 a.m. local time.

    Visibility has been at or below a quarter of a mile all day. Light snow fell overnight, but the primary reason for the delays and cancellations is the freezing fog and low visibility.

    The airport at Denver was particularly hard hit last week during Southwest’s service meltdown.

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  • Thursday flight cancellations top 2,300 nationwide, disrupting holiday travel | CNN Business

    Thursday flight cancellations top 2,300 nationwide, disrupting holiday travel | CNN Business

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    CNN
     — 

    Snow, rain, ice, wind and frigid temperatures are disrupting air travel plans across the United States as well as bus and Amtrak passenger train service.

    Airlines canceled more than 2,390 US flights by 8:30 ET p.m. Thursday and proactively canceled more than 2,200 flights for Friday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. Even for Saturday, more than 125 flights were already canceled.

    Delays were even more extensive on Thursday: More than 9,000 as of 8:30 p.m. ET.

    The impacts are being felt hardest in Chicago and Denver, where around a quarter of arrivals and departures – hundreds of flights at each airport – were canceled on Thursday, FlightAware data show.

    At one point Thursday at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, delays averaging 159 minutes – almost three hours – were being caused by snow and ice, according to a notice from the Federal Aviation Administration.

    Temperatures at the O’Hare dropped to 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 Celsius) around 6:45 p.m. local time. Light snow and fog/mist were reported by the National Weather Service.

    The FAA said departing aircraft at Dallas Love, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Minneapolis airports require a spraying of de-icing fluid for safe travel.

    In the busy New York City metro area, the FAA warned that Newark flights should expect delays because of visibility issues.

    The region’s three large airports are all warning travelers that the incoming winter weather front may disrupt their travels.

    “Flight activity at #LaGuardiaAirport may be disrupted by heavy rain and strong winds later today and Friday. Travelers, please confirm flight status with your airline before heading to the airport,” LaGuardia Airport posted on Twitter. John F. Kennedy and Newark Airport also posted similar notices.

    Many airlines have issued weather waivers allowing travelers to change their itineraries without penalty during a short window.

    For those whose flights are still scheduled to fly, the Transportation Security Administration is recommending that passengers arrive at the airport earlier than usual.

    John Busch, Reagan National Airport’s TSA federal security director, told reporters that all airports “expect to be busier this holiday season than we’ve been in several years coming out of the pandemic. We’ve already seen some of our busiest days, yesterday and today and we expect maybe Friday 30th ahead of the New Year’s holiday can be also a very busy day.”

    But Busch added that TSA is “very well prepared to handle additional volume and throughput for our security checkpoints.”

    Maria Ihekwaba, who was traveling from Chicago to Clear Lake, Iowa, with her granddaughter on Thursday morning, told CNN she was trying to depart as soon as possible.

    “Especially when you’re traveling from Chicago, you never know what could happen in Chicago because it’s the Windy City,” Ihekwaba said.

    Traveler Kari Lucas, from San Diego, told CNN she was visiting her sister and brother-in-law, but cut the trip short as she didn’t want to get caught in the impending weather.

    “I was worried because San Diego, we don’t get these snowstorms,” she said. “So I don’t like it to be trapped in the airport for long periods of time.”

    “It seemed like the best choice to make right now,” she said.

    It’s not just flights that are being affected by the bomb cyclone.

    Greyhound issued a service alert on Thursday warning customers that those traveling in the Midwest over the next two days may have their trips delayed or canceled altogether.

    Greyhound, the largest provider of intercity bus service, listed more than a dozen cities from West Virginia to Minnesota that are among those impacted. They include:

    • Charleston, West Virginia
    • Chicago
    • Cleveland
    • Dallas
    • Danville, Illinois
    • Davenport, Iowa
    • Denver
    • Detroit
    • Indianapolis
    • Kansas City
    • Minneapolis
    • St. Louis
    • Wichita, Kansas

    Greyhound said riders can call 1-833-233-8507 to reschedule.

    Amtrak has also been forced to delay or cancel passenger service for some lines in the Midwest and Northeast.

    Click here for disruptions the rail service posted as of 5 p.m. Thursday.

    In its notice, Amtrak said that “customers with reservations on trains that are being modified will typically be accommodated on trains with similar departure times or another day.

    “Amtrak will waive additional charges for customers looking to change their reservation during the modified schedule by calling our reservation center at 1-800-USA-RAIL.”

    FedEx says it is watching the winter weather and has “contingency plans in place to help keep our team members safe and lessen any impact” on Christmas deliveries.

    “In anticipation of severe weather, we have been repositioning assets so we can provide service where and when it is safe to do so,” FedEx told CNN in a statement.

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  • Vintage military aircraft collide mid-air at Dallas air show | CNN

    Vintage military aircraft collide mid-air at Dallas air show | CNN

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    CNN
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    A Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and a Bell P-63 Kingcobra collided and crashed at the Wings Over Dallas airshow around 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

    “At this time, it is unknown how many people were on both aircraft,” the FAA said in a statement.

    Authorities responded to the incident at Dallas Executive Airport, Jason Evans with Dallas Fire-Rescue told CNN on Saturday.

    There are currently more than 40 fire rescue units on scene, the agency’s active incidents page shows.

    The Commemorative Air Force identified both aircraft as being out of Houston.

    “Currently we do not have information on the status of the flight crews as emergency responders are working the accident,” a statement from the group said, adding it is working with local authorities and the FAA.

    The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the collision. The NTSB will be in charge and is expected to provide additional updates.

    The event, which was scheduled to run through Sunday, has been canceled, according to the organizer’s website.

    Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said in a tweet after the crash, “As many of you have now seen, we have had a terrible tragedy in our city today during an airshow. Many details remain unknown or unconfirmed at this time.”

    “The videos are heartbreaking. Please, say a prayer for the souls who took to the sky to entertain and educate our families today,” Johnson said in a separate tweet.

    Debris from the collision fell onto southbound Highway 67, according to a report from CNN affiliate WFAA. Southbound and northbound lanes of the highway were shut down after the incident, the Dallas Police Department said.

    The B-17 was part of the collection of the Commemorative Air Force, nicknamed “Texas Raiders,” and had been hangered in Conroe, Texas near Houston. It was one of about 45 complete surviving examples of the model, only nine of which were airworthy.

    The P-63 was even rarer. Some 14 examples are known to survive, four of which in the United States were airworthy, including one owned by the Commemorative Air Force.

    More than 12,000 B-17s were produced by Boeing, Douglas Aircraft and Lockheed between 1936 and 1945, with nearly 5,000 lost during the war, and most of the rest scrapped by the early 1960s. About 3,300 P-63’s were produced by Bell Aircraft between 1943 and 1945, and were principally used by the Soviet Air Force in World War II.

    This is a developing story.

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  • A flying car prototype just got an airworthiness certificate from the FAA | CNN Business

    A flying car prototype just got an airworthiness certificate from the FAA | CNN Business

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    New York
    CNN
     — 

    The Federal Aviation Administration has certified for testing a vehicle that a California startup describes as a flying car — the first fully electric vehicle that can both fly and travel on roads to receive US government approval.

    Alef Automotive said that its vehicle/aircraft, dubbed the “Model A,” is the first flying vehicle that is drivable on public roads and able to park like a normal car. It also has vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. It apparently will be able to carry one or two occupants and will have a road-range of 200 miles and a flying range of 110 miles.

    The company expects to sell the vehicle for $300,000 each with the first delivery by projected for the end of 2025.

    The FAA confirmed that it has issued the company a special airworthiness certificate, allowing for limited purposes that include exhibition, research and development.

    Numerous companies are working on all-electric VTOLs, which stands for vehicle takeoff and landing aircraft. The FAA said that Alef is “not the first aircraft of its kind” to get a special airworthiness certificate. However, Alef noted that its vehicle is different because of its ability to function both on roads and in the air, to appear like a normal car and to park in a normal parking space.

    “We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is a one small step for planes, one giant step for cars,” said Jim Dukhovny, the CEO of Alef.

    The company’s website said the flying car will be a certified as a “low speed vehicle,” which means it won’t be able to go faster than about 25 miles per hour on a paved road. “The assumption is that, if a driver needs a faster route, a driver will use Alef’s flight capabilities,” the company posted on the site.

    Regardless, It also still needs approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to go on roads.

    Development has been underway on the vehicle since 2015. Four friends, Constantine Kisly, Pavel Markin, Oleg Petrov and Dukhovny, inspired by the “Back to the Future” movies (which foresaw flying cars being available in that year), decided to form a company to try to develop them.

    According to the company, an initial automated test flight of a skeleton version of the car was successfully conducted in 2018, and a full-size prototype was flown the following year. But Alef said that it needed the FAA’s special airworthiness certificate to continue conducting the necessary research and development.

    The company also said that earlier this year that it had taken refundable pre-orders for more than 400 of the vehicles, with the cost of $150 for to be in the general queue or $1,500 for the priority queue.

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