Article Excerpt:
A brief nationwide ground stop for United Airlines flights was lifted Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
“We briefly held aircraft at their origin airports and resumed normal operations around 12:45 p.m. CT.,” the airline said. “Our teams are working to get customers to their destinations as soon as possible.”
“Earlier today a software update caused a widespread slowdown in United’s technology systems,” United said in a statement.
The ground stop lasted slightly more than an hour and did not affect aircraft already in flight when it was called. United is investigating the cause of the slowdown but does not believe it is a cybersecurity issue.
United’s stock price closed more than 2% lower Tuesday.
Analysis:
Our current dependence on technology makes way for an increasing vulnerability within our communication networks. Any disruptions to our techno-ecosystem could result in catastrophe if there is a lack of adequate planning. This example of United Airlines issuing “ground stops” to their flights is just a minor example of what can happen when there is no “plan B” in place for disruptions, such as the software update that left United Airlines without access to their technology systems. On a mass scale, this could lead to global catastrophe resulting from disruptions in just about every aspect of our lives.
