Washington, November 15 (Yes Punjab News)
Air travel disruptions across the United States are expected to continue well into Sunday, with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed as airlines struggle to restore normal operations following a nationwide shutdown caused by a technical problem in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) air traffic control communications system.
FAA chief Bryan Bedford said on Saturday (local time) that flight schedules were unlikely to return to normal until late Sunday, as the agency continued efforts to stabilise operations and resolve the technical issues.
According to aviation tracking website FlightAware, airlines had cancelled more than 6,150 flights and delayed over 7,300 others across the US by 6.45 pm ET (2345 GMT) on Saturday. More than 530 flights scheduled for Sunday had also been cancelled by Saturday evening.
The disruption followed an even more severe day on Friday, when approximately 9,200 flights were cancelled and another 7,500 delayed.
Bedford apologised to passengers affected by the widespread disruption and assured them that the country’s aviation system remained stable. He said the FAA was working to restore normal operations, with flight services expected to largely recover by late Sunday.
Thousands of passengers remain stranded at airports across the country. Airlines are also facing the challenge of repositioning aircraft, pilots and other crew members to resume regular schedules.
The crisis began on Friday after the FAA imposed a nationwide ground stop, bringing almost all departing flights across the country to a halt for nearly five hours. It was the longest nationwide interruption of air travel since the September 11, 2001, attacks and resulted in one of the worst single days for US air travel.
The unprecedented disruption also prompted an emergency meeting at the White House, where officials gathered in the Situation Room to assess the situation and examine its possible causes.
Authorities initially considered whether a cyberattack could have triggered the breakdown. However, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later said the technical problem had been traced to the installation of at least one new router by FAA contractor L3Harris at a remote facility.
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