The FAA is years away from updating the system that grounded every flight in the US | CNN Business

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The Federal Aviation Administration software that crashed Wednesday causing thousands of flight delays and cancellations is 30 years old and at least six years old from being updated, a government source familiar with the situation told CNN.

The failure of the Notices to Air Missions (NOTAM) database prompted the FAA to implement the first national air traffic shutdown in more than 20 years.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has held several meetings with top FAA officials since Wednesday’s crash and has “made it very clear” that he wants the NOTAM database updated much more quickly than expected of the FAA, the source told CNN.

“The core database operating system has been around since the 1990s,” the source said. “Regardless of the improvements made to the system in recent years, it still has the heart of an 89-year-old man.”

In its 2023 budget estimate, the FAA requested $29.4 million for its Aeronautical Information Management Program, which includes the NOTAM system. In describing the system, the administration said it needs to “remove the failed legacy hardware that currently supports this function in the national airspace system.”

Meanwhile, the FAA is stuck tackling new technologies, including electric drones and helicopters, with its outdated technology, the source said.

“We have to get the team online much faster than we are,” the source said, noting that a large investment is required because it’s much more complicated than an over-the-air iOS update. “It’s been going on for years.”

CNN has reached out to the FAA for comment on the NOTAM system updates to date and its modernization timeline.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the FAA continued to play down the possibility of a cyberattack as the primary cause of the system failure. Instead, it pointed to a damaged database file. The FAA says it is “working diligently to further identify the causes” to prevent it from happening again.

An investigation into Secretary Buttigieg’s leadership has not yet determined the source of the corrupt file, the government source told CNN.

The failure is expected to be the main point of contention as the FAA moves into its federal funding reauthorization process, especially with the GOP now in control of the House. The FAA is already drawing criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.

Airlines, which have drawn their share of government criticism for the schedule collapses, have also sounded the alarm about a lack of funding, limited staffing and outdated FAA technology.

During a US Chamber of Commerce event in September, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told CNN’s Pete Muntean that the aviation industry should rally around the FAA after ‘a summer marked by flight cancellations and delays.

“The FAA needs more funding,” Kirby said in an on-stage interview before aviation leaders. “They need more investment in technology.”