Several flight delays and cancellations nationwide occurred in the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 11 due to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FFA) decision to reboot their computer systems. 

While making the decision, a corrupt file was discovered in the main Notice to Air Missions NOTAM) as well as corrupt files in the backup system. Working as one of the most crucial safety systems, the NOTAM advises pilots of disturbances in their routes to their destinations. 

Overnight from Tuesday, Jan. 10 to Wednesday, the FAA decided to go ahead with the reboot before air traffic began to fly to the east coast, in order to minimize disruption to flights. The FAA then halted all domestic flights at 7:30 a.m. ET, and advised all flights in the air of the situation. 

Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation stated that the problems were no sign of a cyberattack, but the department of transportation will not rule that out as a possibility for the problems. About 9,500 flights, to from and out of the United States had been delayed and about 1,300 flights were canceled as of 6 p.m ET on Wednesday.