Washington: American Airlines, one of the world’s largest carriers, was forced to briefly shut down its flights on Tuesday, citing a "technical issue.”
The airline and its subsidiaries had to ground their flights, with passengers reporting that a software fault appeared to be the cause of the shutdown and that boarding passes could not be scanned at the gates.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) halted all American Airlines flights across the country on one of the busiest days of the year at the airline’s request.
The shutdown was lifted again after around an hour.
Many US families gather on Christmas Eve, often flying long distances before celebrating Christmas Day together.
The Jewish festival of Hanukkah also falls this year on Wednesday, coinciding with Christmas Day. (DPA)