USTA Calls on Government To Modernize Air Travel Infrastructure After FAA System Failure

The U.S. Travel Association called on the government to “modernize the country’s vital air travel infrastructure to ensure systems are able to meet demand safely and efficiently” following the Federal Aviation Administration’s system failure on Wednesday. The computer outage forced the FAA to halt all departures nationwide for several hours as it resolved the issue.

In a statement, Geoff Freeman, CEO of U.S. Travel, said the system failure “is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades.” Americans, he said, “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.”

The FAA said in a statement it was “continuing a thorough review to determine the root cause” of the NOTAM (Notice to Air System Mission) system outage. The agency said its preliminary work has traced the outage to a damaged database file. At this time, it said, there is no evidence of a cyberattack. NOTAM alerts pilots to potential flight hazards.