The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has warned Bulgarian citizens traveling from, to or through the United States of serious air traffic disruptions following a major technical failure in the telecommunications system of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Takeoff restrictions have already been lifted, but restoring the normal schedule will take time. “Flights will gradually return to normal,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Significant delays, canceled flights and schedule changes are expected on both domestic and international routes, including transatlantic services. Flights within the country were suspended for more than four hours, and after they resumed, numerous aircraft and crews remained outside their planned positions.
Communication system problem
According to information cited by bTV, the cause is related to communication systems used to manage air traffic. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pointed to outdated equipment and system overload as factors behind the crisis.
The Secretary of Homeland Security said there was no information indicating a cyberattack or a connection to another major technical failure. Authorities are continuing to clarify the causes of the outage, and no specific timeframe for the full restoration of traffic has been given.
What the Foreign Ministry recommends
The ministry is urging travelers to check their flight status immediately before departure and follow the instructions of the relevant airline. The lifting of takeoff restrictions does not mean that all flights will operate according to the original schedule.
If consular or crisis assistance is needed, Bulgarian citizens can contact the Embassy of Bulgaria in Washington and the consulates general in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The 24-hour telephone numbers of the Foreign Ministry’s Situation Center Directorate are +359 2 948 24 04, +359 2 971 38 56 and +359 893 339 616.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg