Disruptions to air traffic in the US continued for a third consecutive day, with more than 5,200 flights affected on Sunday. More than 1,600 flights were canceled and nearly 3,600 were delayed, Reuters reported, citing FlightAware data.
The consequences stem from the nationwide stoppage of departing flights imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday. The restriction lasted nearly five hours and was lifted at around 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time, but airlines were left dealing with disruptions involving aircraft, crews and passengers.
Thousands of flights canceled over the weekend
More than 6,400 flights were canceled in the US on Saturday, while delays exceeded 8,000. Reuters notes that on Sunday, 27% of JetBlue’s flights and 13% of American Airlines’ flights were canceled. At Southwest, United Airlines and Delta, the share of canceled flights was between 3% and 5%.
Figures for the total number of canceled flights vary depending on when they were recorded and which source was used. The Federal Aviation Administration said that around 12,462 flights had been canceled on Friday, while ABC News reported more than 14,000 canceled flights in total for Friday and Saturday.
Technical failure, but no evidence of a cyberattack
The Federal Aviation Administration said outdated equipment had become unstable after around 1,000 connection attempts began reaching the telecommunications network every 4–5 seconds. Seventeen of the 22 en route air traffic control centers were affected.
Potential sources identified included a radar site in Amarillo, Texas, and a radio communications facility in Eldorado, Arkansas. According to the administration, the problem arose during work on a router carried out by contractor L3Harris. The two potential sources have been blocked, and the broadcasting function of the new routers has been disabled as a precautionary measure.
There is no evidence of a cyberattack or external malicious action. “We still do not know the root cause,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, as quoted by Reuters.
Recovery expected on Monday
The Federal Aviation Administration said that around 3,500 aircraft landed safely during the stoppage and that there had been no complete loss of radio communications or radar coverage. According to the administration, critical flights also continued, including medical, police and military operations.
Duffy expects air travel to return to its normal pace on Monday. Airlines are offering affected passengers free rebooking or refunds for canceled flights, although the conditions vary among carriers.
Against the backdrop of the crisis, the administration is urging Congress to provide additional funding to modernize the air traffic control system. According to US officials, $12.5 billion has so far been approved for the modernization effort, while the Transportation Department is seeking an additional $30 billion.
Sources: streetinsider.com, apnews.com, abcnews.com