Relieved American Airlines passengers have begun taking to the skies again after a huge systems outage briefly grounded all of the company’s flights – just a day before Christmas.

A statement from the airline previously read: “We’re currently experiencing a technical issue with all American Airlines flights. Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we’ll have you safely on your way to your destination. Our team is working to get this rectified so that you can be safely on your way to your family. Your continued patience is appreciated.”

While an advisory noticed posted to the Federal Aviation Administration website revealed that the airline had made a request for a ‘full ground stop nationwide’ of all its flights. The agency also confirmed in a statement that this was becasue of a “technical issue”.

However, a new message posted to the Federal Aviation Administration’s website revealed that the grounding has since been ‘cancelled’. Plane tracking website Flightradar24 reported American Airlines flights taking off moments later. An airline spokesperson also told CNN the grounding was over, adding: “Flights are boarding”.

Passengers have breathed a sigh of relief after American Airlines's grounding was declared over

Passengers have breathed a sigh of relief after American Airlines’s grounding was declared over ( 

Image:

AP)

A spokerson from Toronto Pearson International Airport welcomed the news. But they warned that some American Airlines passengers could still experience delays due to the technical hitch. They wrote on X: “An American Airlines technical issue briefly impacted its flights this morning. The system is back up, but passengers flying with American Airlines might see some impacts throughout the day. We would like to remind passenger to check their flight status with their airline.”

Some passengers who had been set to fly with American Airlines previously revealed they had been forced to return to their terminal just minutes before take-off. One worried air traveller wrote on X: “Captain had pushed off and we were preparing for take off after hour delay. But the AA update required us to return to the gate and we may have to de-plane. It’s Christmas Eve and I have a connecting AA flight. Will we fly out?”

A spokesperson for American Airlines said passengers were now boarding their flights

A spokesperson for American Airlines said passengers were now boarding their flights ( 

Image:

AFP via Getty Images)

Another stessed out passenger at Nashville International Airport said they had been left in the dark about what had happened. They wrote on X: “Back to the gate and now deplaning at BNA. Cyber attack is my guess. Heck of way to start Christmas. Hey, @AmericanAir just tell us whether we should go home or not. Please don’t make us wait in the airport for hours.” A further flyer had fumed: “Gotta love a Christmas Eve morning @AmericanAir IT outage grounding all flights during this semi busy time of the year for travel.”

Bloomberg had reported that the airline may have encountered a software issue relating to how their planes calculate the weight and balance for their flights. But some who saw information about the technical hitch on social media joked that IT staff at the firm had simply needed to ‘reboot their system’.