In the United States, outage cancels 12,000 flights on Friday
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on BFMTV and L’essentiel
An outage in the US air traffic control system led to 12,000 cancellations on Friday, then more than 6,400 on Saturday, while more than 1,000 others were already recorded on Sunday. Authorities hope for a gradual return to normal by Sunday evening, after an incident that BFMTV attributes to the replacement of outdated copper cables.
Disruption began after copper communication lines on air traffic control infrastructure were replaced with optical fibre. A router then failed, disrupting communications with aircraft and some radars, according to explanations from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The suspension of take-offs for more than four hours on Friday disrupted aircraft and crews, extending cancellations at airports. FAA chief Bryan Bedford said the instability of the system had led to take-offs being halted as a precaution.
Hundreds of thousands of passengers were affected by delays and cancellations. At New York’s LaGuardia airport, some travellers spent several hours on the tarmac or had to sleep in terminal halls, with departures postponed until Monday.
