Acting FAA chief cancels trip to Mexico after flight computer issue

(Reuters) – The acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is cancelling a planned trip to Mexico Thursday that was to review progress on Mexico’s plan to recover a coveted air safety rating, the agency said Wednesday.

Reuters reported in December FAA chief Billy Nolen’s planned visit to the country after its U.S.-issued safety rating was downgraded in 2021. Nolen is cancelling the trip after an FAA computer issue Wednesday forced a 90-minute nationwide ground stop for departures disrupting thousands of flights.

(Reporting by David Shepardson)