U.S. FAA adopts new safeguards after computer outage halted flights

FILE PHOTO: Status of the flights are displayed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had ordered airlines to pause all domestic departures due to a system outage, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told lawmakers it had made a series of changes to prevent a repeat of a computer system outage that on Jan. 11 disrupted more than 11,000 U.S. flights.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen wrote in a letter dated Friday and seen by Reuters on Monday that the agency has made a change in the system to prevent a corrupt file from damaging a backup database.