American Airlines Boeing 777 at Miami International Airport Photo: Wiki
American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, announced on Tuesday that it had suspended all flights due to a “technical issue,” the BBC reports. The incident occurred at the beginning of one of the busiest travel periods in the US – Christmas Eve.
What happened?
Passengers on thousands of flights scheduled for the day were stranded at airports after a nationwide grounding of aircraft. Company representatives said that safety was the top priority and promised to resolve the problem quickly.
About an hour after the announcement , the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the lifting of the “nationwide ground stop”. The company resumed boarding passengers.
“Our team has been working non-stop to resolve the issue. While it took a little while, we are grateful to our customers for their patience,” American Airlines said in a post on the X platform.
Impact on passengers
The incident caused significant concern among travellers, many of whom expressed their frustration on social media. Passengers reported delays and being stuck on runways at major airports across the country.
Although the FAA has not recorded any major delays nationwide, experts suggest that many more flights will be affected, as it may take time to restore schedules.
“For those travelling today, it may not be a very merry Christmas,” the BBC writes.
The cause of the incident remains unknown
American Airlines does not disclose what kind of technical malfunction caused the suspension of flights. The company said in a statement that the team was working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
This situation posed a serious challenge for the world’s largest airline, which operates thousands of flights daily to more than 350 destinations in 60 countries.
American Airlines is second only to Air France-KLM in terms of revenue, but remains the leader in terms of passengers and fleet. The incident could affect the company’s reputation, given the importance of stability and safety for air travel, especially during the holiday season.
