More than 1,600 flights are canceled in the United States on this Sunday
Traffic control system problem causes third day of disruptions; authorities investigate failure in communication equipment
Flight cancellations on the Estados Unidos exceeded 1,600 on Sunday, while nearly 3,600 operations experienced delays, according to FlightAware data released by Reuters. The disturbances continue after a failure in the air traffic control system led to the national suspension of take-offs on Friday.
The disruption has affected airports in different regions of the country and caused thousands of cancellations since Friday. Although the Federal Aviation Administration of Estados Unidos (FAA) authorized the resumption of take-offs that night, airlines face difficulties in normalizing their operations.
The shutdown left aircraft and crews out of their usual schedules, contributing to the continuity of delays and cancellations throughout the weekend.
The Estados Unidos Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, said the expectation is that the operations will be restored gradually, with the possibility of returning to normal capacity on Monday.
Failure in the communication system is investigated
US authorities are investigating problems in the telecommunications infrastructure used by air traffic control.
One of the main lines of research involves equipment installed in El Dorado, Arkansas, where the L3Harris company was carrying out work to modernize the network.
The service included replacing old copper communication lines with fiber optic connections.
According to the FAA, the network presented an abnormal volume of data, compromising the stability of systems used for communications and radar information.
The investigation also identified possible problems related to a radar facility equipment in Amarillo, Texas.
To date, it has not been determined whether the occurrence resulted from equipment defects, maintenance problems or other technical failure.
L3Harris said it is working with the FAA to clarify the incident and said it considers the impacts caused by the national takeoff disruption to be serious.
17 air control centers affected
According to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, the instability has reached 17 of the 22 air traffic control centers of the Estados Unidos.
Despite the size of the problem, there was no complete interruption of the communication and radar systems. Part of the equipment remained operational, allowing controllers and pilots to maintain the necessary safety procedures.
Faced with simultaneous failures, the agency ordered the temporary suspension of take-offs throughout the American territory.
The measure began on Friday afternoon (13) and was closed at 8:15 p.m., on the east coast time of the Estados Unidos, after the stabilization of the network.
The FAA said all aircraft in flight landed safely during the incident.
Authorities have not identified any indications of cyberattack
U.S. authorities also looked at the possibility of external interference in air control systems.
However, according to the FAA, no evidence of cyberattack or malicious action was found to explain the disruption.
As a preventive measure, functionalities of approximately 60 routers similar to those involved in the occurrence were disabled to reduce the risk of new instabilities.
The investigation continues to identify the ultimate cause of the failure and establish measures that prevent further episodes.
In the meantime, passengers who have scheduled trips to Estados Unidos, including on international connections, should check the status of flights directly with airlines before moving to airports.
With information from Reuters, FAA and Department of Transportation of the Estados Unidos.
