Alaska Airlines temporarily grounded all of its flights on Sunday evening due to a major IT outage that disrupted critical operational systems, the airline confirmed in a statement, reports Reuters.
"At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific Time (0300 GMT Monday), Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that impacted our operations. We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
The airline, based in Seattle, did not specify the cause of the outage but warned of ongoing disruptions throughout Sunday night. As of the last update, there was no estimated time for full service restoration.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours. However, the FAA’s status page showed a system-wide ground stop affecting both Alaska Airlines and its regional subsidiary, Horizon Air.
Alaska Air Group operates a fleet of 238 Boeing 737s and 87 Embraer 175 regional jets, according to its website.
The outage follows a June incident involving Hawaiian Airlines—also owned by Alaska Air Group—which suffered a cybersecurity breach that disrupted some of its IT systems. The company has been evaluating the financial impact of that event.
While there is no official confirmation linking the current outage to cyber activity, the timing raises concerns about the resilience of airline IT systems amid increasing threats.
Passengers were advised to check flight statuses before heading to the airport and to expect potential residual delays into Monday.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
