A roughly four-hour halt to U.S. air traffic on Friday, Nov. 13, affected 15,734 flights, with cancellations and delays expected to disrupt travel for days. (Foto: Instagram)
A roughly four-hour halt to U.S. air traffic on Friday, Nov. 13, affected 15,734 flights, according to FlightAware. By late Friday, 7,614 flights had been canceled and 8,120 delayed. The effects were expected to continue for days.
For Saturday, 330 delays were forecast, while 2,145 flights had already been canceled. Airports received permission to resume takeoffs at about 10 p.m. Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration said passenger safety remained its top priority and that it had lifted the takeoff restriction, allowing some flights to resume.
Chicago’s airport was the hardest hit, with 464 cancellations. U.S. airlines began operating again after the FAA’s authorization. American Airlines said it would operate as many remaining flights as possible overnight while preparing for a strong recovery over the following days.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the stoppage to the age of the U.S. air traffic system. He said the problem involved inconsistencies between radar and airport towers. Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called on Congress to provide funding to overhaul the system.
At a White House news conference, Duffy said the president had asked Congress over the past year to fully fund construction of an entirely new air traffic control system.
