U.S. airline Alaska Airlines was forced to ground all of its flights on Sunday evening after suffering a significant IT system outage, disrupting operations across the country.
According to a company statement released to Reuters, the outage occurred at around 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time (0300 GMT Monday), impacting both Alaska Airlines and its regional affiliate Horizon Air. The nature of the outage was not immediately disclosed.
“We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights,” the airline said in an email statement. “There will be residual impacts to our operations throughout the evening.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also confirmed the disruption via its system status page, which showed all Alaska Airlines mainline and Horizon flights affected. However, the FAA had not issued an official statement or responded to media inquiries as of Monday morning.
Wider Impact on Operations
Alaska Air Group, the parent company of both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, operates a large fleet comprising 238 Boeing 737 aircraft and 87 Embraer 175 jets, according to its official website. The IT disruption raised concerns about passenger delays, flight cancellations, and broader logistical complications at key airports served by the airline.
The full financial and operational impact of the outage remains unclear.
Cybersecurity Concerns Resurface
The incident comes just weeks after Hawaiian Airlines—also owned by Alaska Air Group—experienced an IT system breach, which the company later confirmed was due to a cyberattack. While Sunday’s outage has not been linked to any cyber threats, the timing raises questions about the airline group’s digital infrastructure security.
Alaska Air Group previously stated it was still assessing the financial impact of the earlier cyberattack. It’s unclear whether this latest incident may be connected or if any customer data has been compromised.
Next Steps
As of Monday morning, Alaska Airlines had not provided a timeline for when full services would resume or whether any compensation or travel rebooking procedures would be put in place for affected travelers.
Passengers were advised to monitor flight status updates, check emails or app notifications, and prepare for possible delays or cancellations throughout the day.
