American Airlines has resumed operations after a temporary ground stop was imposed on Christmas Eve due to a technical issue that affected its flight operations. The airline confirmed that the issue, which led to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting a full halt of all flights, has been resolved.
The disruption was caused by a technology failure involving a vendor’s automated system, which was unable to calculate or deliver essential weight and balance data needed for flight dispatch. While the airline did not disclose the vendor’s name, it emphasized that the issue was rectified promptly.
American Airlines spokespersons confirmed the ground stop was resolved by midday on December 24, allowing flights to resume. “Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience,” the airline said in a statement to ABC News.
The grounding of planes could not have come at a worse time for the carrier, as the holiday travel rush was in full swing. With more than 118,000 flights scheduled during the peak winter season, American had anticipated carrying 12.7 million passengers between December 18 and January 6.
Despite the disruption, the airline is expected to continue operating a heavy schedule throughout the holiday period, including an estimated 102 million miles flown across its fleet of 1,500 mainline and regional aircraft. Friday, December 27 is expected to be the busiest travel day, followed closely by December 20.
American Airlines reassured passengers that safety remains its top priority and that it is making efforts to minimize delays and disruptions during the holiday season.
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