The confusing, frustrating, and massive meltdown that is the Delta outage continues. So far, all that is known about the issue is that a power outage rendered all Delta computer systems useless. As a member of the aviation industry, Sheffield School of Aeronautics understands how delicate these systems can be; everyone from flight attendants to aircraft dispatchers were left in the dark.
All system that are used by pilots, cabin crew, aircraft dispatchers, and the FAA rely on a smooth interconnectivity. So far, the Delta outage has been attributed to a failure in a component called a switchgear, causing the massive outage. The switchgear is responsible for transferring power from the utility to a generator in the event of an outage.
Although systems came back online after the initial Monday, August 8 disaster, the ripple effects mean that many are still stranded and the ‘snowball’ effect is being felt across the U.S. The outage occurred at Delta Headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline’s headquarters serves as the central hub for the entire aviation system, which is why important personnel like aircraft dispatchers are all located in the Atlanta.
Although many passengers are understandably upset about the Delta outage, it is important to put these events into perspective. Complex, overlapping aviation systems are loaded with redundancies, but the disaster could have been much worse. No one has been hurt and at worst, people have missed important flights, appointments and meetings, but Delta is working diligently to fix the issue and flights will resume as usual in due time.