American Airlines issued a nationwide ground stop for all flights not yet departed on Tuesday evening due to an IT outage, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed. The airline lifted the ground stop after the technology issue was resolved, and flights resumed.
The Air Traffic Control System Command Center reported at around 6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday that an IT outage was affecting all airports. According to Downdetector, there were more than 1,500 reports of issues with American Airlines' systems at that time, with 52% of users reporting problems with the app.
Flight tracking data showed significant disruption: by Tuesday night, more than 1,200 American Airlines flights were delayed, according to FlightAware. However, other sources report 1,100 delays. The 1,100 delayed flights represent about 30% of American Airlines' scheduled flights for that day, and 221 cancellations represent about 6% of scheduled flights.
On Wednesday, nearly 1,300 American Airlines flights were delayed, according to FlightAware. According to official reports, the airline did not disclose the cause of the technology issue, but reported no evidence of a cyberattack.
The IT outage coincided with severe thunderstorms on the US East Coast, complicating recovery. Air traffic control limited flight flow at some airports to maintain safe takeoff intervals. Regional airline partners operating short-haul flights for American Airlines were also affected. At the time the ground stop was lifted, American Airlines had 130 fewer aircraft in the air compared to the same time the previous week.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and American Airlines are conducting technical investigations into the outage. Passengers with connecting flights experienced disruptions, and adverse weather made it difficult for planes held on the ground to depart immediately after the system was restored, according to reports. Reports indicate the FAA will evaluate data on the implementation and lifting of the ground stop.