The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) software bug that grounded thousands of planes earlier this week is at least 30 years old and will not be upgraded for another 6 years, according to media reports on Friday. More than 10,000 flights in and out of the US were delayed, and more than 1,300 were canceled Wednesday as a result of a significant statewide technical issue. According to a CNN report, the FAA software that failed to cause more than 10k+ flight delays is “30 years old and at least 6 years away from being updated”.
“The core operating system for the database has been around since the 1990s. Despite improvements made to the system in recent years, it still has the heart of an 89-year-old,” a government source was quoted as saying in the report.
The aviation body also said that “staff who failed to follow procedures” caused the computer system failure. The FAA is “stuck with old technology in addressing new technology including drones and electric helicopters”.
The disruption was due to a “damaged database file,” with reports previously quoting the FAA as saying that “at this time, there is no evidence of a cyberattack.” Airports across the country were affected, from Denver to Atlanta to New York City. The technical issues marked the first time in nearly two decades that flights across the US were grounded. President Joe Biden called for a “full investigation”, according to the White House press secretary.
IANS with inputs