Washington, Nov 14, (dpa/GNA) – Internal and overseas flights to destinations in the United States resumed with delays through Saturday, after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop triggered by air traffic control communication issues.
Widespread flight disruptions were expected to continue at the weekend, after thousands of flights were cancelled in Friday’s afternoon shutdown, stranding tens of thousands of passengers at US airports.
“Before clearing flights to resume, we thoroughly tested our systems to confirm they were stable and that operations remain reliable,” the FAA said on X.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, warned that restoring normal operations would take time, partly depending on the availability of airline crews. Aircraft already in the air when the suspension took effect were able to land, but further disruption was expected as numerous aircraft and crews were out of position for subsequent flights.
long lines formed at major US hubs, and chaos initially continued at many airports, even after the ban was lifted after around four hours, according to US news reports.
In Las Vegas, one stranded traveller told CBS she received no information from staff, saying, “Nobody has answers at the moment.”
Reporters also described chaotic conditions at the airport in Atlanta. With flights grounded, demand for hotels climbed in many places, leading to shortages of rooms.
A traveller at Newark Airport told a reporter she had booked a hotel to bridge the waiting time, only for the hotel to cancel the reservation due to a lack of capacity.
In Chicago, as at many other airports, demand for rental cars surged as passengers tried to retrieve their luggage and reach their destinations by road. Shares of the car rental company Hertz jumped in value as a result.
Outside the US, CNN also reported that numerous travellers were left stranded in Mexico City.
Duffy said the disruption stemmed from instability in radio and radar systems, with routers shutting down after becoming overloaded with data. The underlying problem, he said, was that older analogue and newer digital systems were operating alongside each other.
Republican Homeland Security Secretary, Markwayne Mullin, said efforts by his party colleague Duffy and the FAA to fix errors in the system had brought the older technology to its knees, adding that “patchwork doesn’t work.” Duffy rejected suggestions that the government was to blame, saying it was old technology that had failed, not new systems.
GNA