FlightGlobal
• Kerry Reals
A previously unknown software defect with an exposure window of about one millisecond caused the UK’s air-traffic control failure on September 8, according to a preliminary NATS investigation. The outage disrupted flights and led to thousands of cancellations; NATS ruled out a cyberattack and military intervention.
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A previously unknown software defect with an exposure window of about one millisecond caused the UK’s air-traffic control failure on September 8, according to a preliminary NATS investigation. The outage disrupted flights and led to thousands of cancellations; NATS ruled out a cyberattack and military intervention.
The FAA is adopting a more modest rollout for a new artificial-intelligence tool after airlines expressed concern about its impact on flight scheduling. The phased approach is intended to help manage implementation and limit disruption as the agency introduces the technology.
Graduates of the Virginia college’s air traffic control program will bypass the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and proceed directly to on-site training, making the institution the latest participant in an effort to streamline the path from classroom instruction to controller qualification.
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The Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Army are moving to implement safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the January 2025 collision between a passenger jet and Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Australia’s major airlines support shutting Sydney Airport’s control tower overnight to redeploy air traffic controllers, as a persistent staffing shortfall disrupts flights and raises safety concerns. The proposal underscores the operational impact of air traffic management workforce constraints at a major international hub.
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The FAA expects tariffs to add about $100 million to its more than $12.5 billion air traffic control modernization program. Separately, the agency is narrowing an AI-assisted tool to real-time decision support initially, amid airline pushback, with longer-term plans to predict traffic flows and map routes days ahead.
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China will establish a permanent airspace security zone roughly the size of Italy around Beijing from September 20, restricting access to commercial, approved business and emergency flights. Authorities are also banning most drone possession across the city, months after a small aircraft crashed into the capital’s tallest building.
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SpaceX has moved Starship Flight 14 to no earlier than Sept. 28, pending regulatory approval, after initially targeting Sept. 22. The roughly 10-hour mission would be Starship’s first orbital flight and attempt to deploy 26 V3 Starlink satellites, marking a major test of the vehicle’s launch and in-space operations.
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