Biden says FAA outage cause may not be known for 'a couple hours'
Biden says Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA are working to determine outage cause
Biden says FAA outage cause may not be known for 'a couple hours
President Biden said Wednesday the cause of the FAA Notice to Air Missions system outage may not be clear for "a couple hours," and he said he did not know if it was related to a cyber attack.
President Biden on Wednesday said it may be hours before the cause of the Federal Aviation Administration outage is discovered.
Planes were grounded in the U.S. for hours Wednesday morning, before a ground stop was lifted. Thousands of flights have been delayed or canceled so far Wednesday.
"I just spoke with [Transportation Secretary Pete] Buttigieg. They don't know what the cause is. I was on the phone about 10 minutes, I told him to report directly to me when they find out," Biden told reporters before departing with first lady Jill Biden to Walter Reed National Medical Center for her scheduled outpatient procedure.
"We don't know what the cause of it is," he added.
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President Biden speaks to reporters as he walks to board Marine One before departing for Walter Reed hospital on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 11, 2023. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Travelers wait in the terminal as an Alaska Airlines plane sits at a gate at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, on Jan. 11, 2023. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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The president said it could be "a couple hours" before the cause is known and that "we'll respond at that time."
Earlier, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president has ordered a full investigation to determine what happened.
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Airlines and airports were left scrambling with news of the nationwide pause, as the White House said there was no immediate evidence of a cyber attack. (STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
"The President has been briefed by the Secretary of Transportation this morning on the FAA system outage. There is no evidence of a cyberattack at this point," she said.
At 8:15 a.m. ET, the FAA announced it is "making progress in restoring its Notice to Air Missions system."
"Departures are resuming at Newark Liberty (EWR) and Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) airports due to air traffic congestion in those areas," the agency said. "We expect departures to resume at other airports at 9 a.m. Eastern Time."
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday morning he has been in touch with the FAA and will provide updates as they are available.
At 8:50 a.m. ET the FAA said, "normal air traffic operations are resuming gradually across the United States following an overnight outage to the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system that provides safety information to flight crews. The ground stop has been lifted."