Technical issue briefly grounds American Airlines flights on Christmas Eve

American Airlines briefly grounded its flights across the United States on Christmas Eve – one of the busiest travel periods of the year – due to a technical issue.

Reports say the airline requested a ground stop from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) early Tuesday morning (Dec. 24) and it was in place until around 8 a.m.

In social media posts, American Airlines said they were experiencing a technical issue with all flights.

“Your safety is our utmost priority, once this is rectified, we'll have you safely on your way to your destination,” the airline wrote in a post to the social media platform X.

The airline is now authorized to fly, with reports indicating that flights are once again boarding. The exact nature of the technical problem was not immediately disclosed.

At Toronto Pearson airport (YYZ), at least five American Airlines flights have reportedly been delayed.

"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," Canada's largest airport wrote on X.

The disruption comes as millions of travellers are expected to fly over the next ten days.

The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2.

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