Alaska Airlines was forced to ground all its flights on Sunday evening following a significant IT outage that disrupted the carrier’s operational systems. The incident led to a temporary, system-wide halt in operations for both Alaska Airlines and its regional partner, Horizon Air.
In a statement issued to Reuters, the airline said, “At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday (0300 GMT Monday), Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that’s impacting our operations. We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights.”
While the airline did not disclose the exact cause of the outage, it confirmed the disruption had a widespread impact, affecting flight schedules and airport operations across its network. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed the ground stop was in effect and reflected on its system status page, showing all Alaska and Horizon destinations as impacted. However, the FAA has yet to comment publicly on the situation.
Alaska Airlines, based in Seattle, operates a fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft and 87 Embraer 175 jets through its Horizon Air brand. The airline warned of ongoing “residual impacts” throughout the night and advised passengers to check their flight status and monitor updates via official channels.
This disruption follows a similar issue earlier this year involving Hawaiian Airlines—also owned by Alaska Air Group—which reported that some of its IT systems had been compromised in a cyberattack. While Alaska Air Group has not linked Sunday’s outage to any cyber incident, it previously stated it was still assessing the financial toll of the Hawaiian Airlines hack.
IT outages in the airline industry can create cascading disruptions, stranding passengers, delaying crew assignments, and causing widespread delays across hubs. The latest event underlines the growing vulnerability of aviation systems to both technical failures and potential cyber threats.
As passengers deal with the fallout of canceled and delayed flights, Alaska Airlines has assured the public that its teams are working urgently to restore full operations and minimize customer inconvenience. Travelers are encouraged to stay updated through the airline’s website and mobile app.
