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FAA lifts U.S. ground stop after technology outage delays thousands of flights



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The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its nationwide halt of departing planes on Wednesday morning after a technology outage delayed thousands of flights, but airlines warned the issue will continue to disrupt travel throughout the day.The FAA said early Wednesday domestic departures would be paused until at least 9 a.m. ET while the agency worked to restore the Notice to Air Missions System, which is responsible for sending messages to all pilots, such as about closed runways, hazards and other information.All flights currently in the air were safe to land, the agency said.The FAA’s outage was the second major air travel disruption in less than a month. Winter storms derailed holiday travel in December, and Southwest Airlines buckled from all the changes.Roughly 7,000 U.S. flights were delayed as of noon ET on Wednesday, according to flight-tracker FlightAware. Residual delays could last hours from the backup.Delta, United and Southwest said schedule adjustments are likely Wednesday. Airlines routinely slow down their schedules so airports aren’t overwhelmed by aircraft without a place to park.For example, Delta flights destined …

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