PAL proceeds with US flights

After the outage that delayed over 9,500 U.S. flights, Philippine Airlines (PAL) is proceeding with all its flights to and from the United States, the flag carrier stated in its late evening (10:27 pm) advisory on Wednesday, January 11.

At the time, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued an advisory assuring the public its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system issue has been resolved and flights into, out of and across the US are gradually being restored.

The NOTAM system is responsible for sending crucial messages to pilots for landing and takeoff of aircraft, such as information about closed runways and hazards.

The system failed overnight, prompting a nationwide halt to departures.

Canada’s aviation system was also briefly hit with a computer outage just hours after issues with the same system forced the US FAA to bring air traffic to a standstill across the country.

But as of last night, "We have received confirmation from Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York flight control centers that they are accepting international arrivals and allowing departures," stated PAL spokeswoman Cielo Villaluna.