A significant development has occurred regarding the extraordinary crisis in the United States caused by a serious technical failure in the air communication system.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted the nationwide ground stop on flight departures, and air operations have begun to gradually resume.
According to the latest reports, the schedules of over 14,500 flights have been affected, with more than 6,000 flights reported as cancelled. U.S. officials state that there is currently no evidence of a cyberattack behind the crisis; however, an investigation into the technical failure is underway.
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation has warned that it may take time for the aviation system to return completely to normal, while thousands of passengers at various airports continue to face difficulties. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy has identified the aging air traffic control system as a primary cause of the issue.
Disruption in US Aviation System; Over 13,000 Flights and 22 Air Traffic Control Centers Affected
It has been revealed that a technical glitch in the US aviation system has impacted more than 13,000 flights and 22 air traffic control centers across the country.
According to US aviation authorities, flight departures were halted at all airports nationwide, following issues with radar, air traffic control, and radio frequencies. International flights arriving in the US are being assessed on a case-by-case basis; however, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not specify when the ground stop would be lifted.
Capacity for Landing Aircraft Nearly Exhausted at Two Major US Airports
Due to the disruption in aviation operations, the capacity to land additional aircraft has been nearly exhausted at two major US airports.
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has reached its limit for landing further aircraft, while Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is also nearing full capacity.
Under these circumstances, flights destined for these airports may need to be diverted to alternative airports.
Passengers report that some flights that have landed are currently held on the tarmac, with passengers not permitted to disembark and proceed to the terminal gates.
Mark VanMullen, a Homeland Security official, stated that records for all flights are accounted for and that the suspension of flights was necessitated by a communication failure within the air traffic control centers. They stated that the possibility of artificial intelligence involvement or a cyberattack cannot be entirely ruled out; however, this is not an event comparable to 9/11, and the ground stop was not implemented due to a security threat. President Donald Trump has also been briefed on the situation.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Trump has remarked that the flight crisis does not appear to be the result of a cyberattack or artificial intelligence. The American technology company Microsoft has also clarified that the disruption to the aviation system is unrelated to its services.
Technical experts from the FAA are investigating the malfunction, and the FBI has also launched an inquiry into the matter. According to Eurocontrol, flights from Europe to the United States have been temporarily suspended due to the disruption in the U.S. aviation system.
Separately, the U.S. National Weather Service is experiencing issues with its nationwide internet and communication systems, which has hindered access to weather information on its websites. The agency reports that technical teams are working to resolve the issue, and the affected systems have begun to come back online.
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