Over 1200 US flights grounded after system failure

Flights across the US came to a standstill following a computer outage at the Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday.

The flight-tracking website FlightAware reported about 760 flights within, into or out of the United States had been delayed as of 6:30 am US Eastern Time.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said its system that alerts pilots and other flight personnel about hazards or any changes to airport facility services and relevant procedures was not processing updated information. 

The agency said that some functions are beginning to come back on line, but that “National Airspace System operations remain limited.” 

United Airlines said that it had temporarily delayed all domestic flights and would issue an update once it learned more from the FAA.

The FAA is working to restore what is known as the Notice to Air Missions System.

NOTAMs used to be available through a hotline but that was phased out with the internet.

The alerts span from mundane information about construction at airports to urgent flight restrictions or broken equipment.