Flights resume across US after grounding order lifted
Josh Funk and Will Weissert |
US airlines have begun resuming flight departures after the federal body overseeing the country’s air traffic lifted an order that all airplanes be grounded.
The ground stop, ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration, lasted more than four hours and left tens of thousands of passengers waiting.
Even with the order being lifted, the airlines will not be able to return to normal operations immediately because so many of their planes and crews are out of position.
US-bound flights from other countries were also cancelled, while those already en route were able to land.
The FAA order issued on Friday afternoon cited “extraordinary circumstances” caused by communications problems at regional air traffic control centres.
The nationwide ground stop was the first since January 2023, when a key computer system malfunctioned, and only the second since the aftermath of the September 11, attacks.
Federal officials have blamed the stoppages on overloaded and outdated systems.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that the introduction of some new technology into an old air traffic control system had overwhelmed it.
The consequences were profound. More than 1.5 million passengers were scheduled to depart US airports on roughly 11,000 flights after 4 pm – shortly after the ground stop began, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
International flights were being handled on a case-by-case basis, according to Mullin, with some seen taking off Friday evening.
Asked whether Mullin could rule out a cyberattack or rogue artificial intelligence incident, he said: “There’s nothing completely certain right now. It doesn’t appear that way.” He said there are no “footprints” showing an attack and that it appears to be “mechanically driven,” adding that officials were still looking for the cause.
At Chicago O’Hare Airport on Friday afternoon, travellers passing through security learned about the ground stop when they looked up at screens that showed flight delays across the board.
Some called friends or family members, debating whether to stay the night in Chicago or find another way to their destinations.
NBA, NHL and college teams were left stranded as they tried to reach their destinations.
Cargo flights were also delayed by the ground stop.
US airlines move about 61,000 tons of goods – from letters to packages — to and from more than 220 countries daily, according to the industry trade group Airlines for America.
Mullin had said investigators will look at whether there is any link to the FAA’s nationwide rollout of a new artificial intelligence system to help identify problems and reroute planes.
The government has been working to overhaul the outdated technology that air traffic controllers rely on since Congress approved $12.5 billion for the project last year. Miles of old copper wires have been replaced with fibre optic lines and old radio systems are gradually being replaced at airports across the country.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that another $30 billion will be needed to complete the work, and the White House has begun lobbying Congress to approve it.
Duffy said on Friday he had spoken with Donald Trump about the aviation ground stop and that the president was fully engaged on the issue.
The problem appeared similar to a regional air traffic control communication outage in September that snarled hundreds of flights across the Northeast, aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said, except this time on a nationwide scale. It may be linked to the outdated technology used by air traffic controllers.
More than 1.5 million passengers were scheduled to depart US airports on roughly 11,000 flights after 4 pm shortly after the ground stop began, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
with Reuters
AP