Alaska Airlines grounds all mainline flights after major 'IT outage'

Alaska Airlines was forced to ground all its mainline aircraft on Sunday (Jul 20) after a major IT outage disrupted its operations nationwide, as per an advisory notice issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The airline has confirmed it had requested a temporary system-wide ground stop for both Alaska and Horizon Air flights while technicians worked to resolve the issue. In a statement to AFP, the airlines said it "experienced an IT outage that's impacting our operations" and that out of caution, it has "requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights until the issue is resolved."

Which destinations would be affected?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an advisory acknowledging the airline's request, with its flight status page showing that all destinations served by Alaska's mainline fleet were impacted. However, the FAA has yet to issue a public statement on the matter.

Alaska Airlines' string of bad luck

As per AFP, this disruption adds to a challenging period for Alaska Airlines. Just over a year ago, the airline faced a terrifying incident when a door plug on a newly delivered Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft blew out mid-flight, leading to a sudden cabin decompression. The January 2024 flight from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, had 177 people onboard. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the event prompted the FAA to ground dozens of 737 Max 9 planes and launch a wider safety review of Boeing's manufacturing practices.

In June 2025, US investigators concluded that Boeing's failure to adequately train staff on proper installation procedures was responsible for the near-fatal incident directly — a finding that has put fresh scrutiny on the aircraft manufacturer and its supply chain. Boeing has recently also come under fire for the fatal Air India AI-171 flight crash in India's Ahemdabad. The plane crash claimed 260 lives. An investigation into the Air India plane crash is being jointly carried out by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and NTSB.