U.S. Flight Cancellations Are Expected to Continue, Says Secretary

Estados Unidos Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday that air operations in the country are gradually returning to normal, following the multi-hour national shutdown on Friday. He has assured that it is safe to travel by plane, but warned that passengers still face delays and cancellations.

The statement was published about 12 hours after the national suspension of commercial air operations, which caused disruption at airports across the country. Duffy also said the U.S. government is working with airlines to accelerate service standardization.

Thousands of flights cancelled in the US

By 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, more than 3,500 flights had been cancelled in the United States, according to FlightAware data released by CBS. A further 1,400 were delayed. Earlier, the Associated Press had reported about 2,500 cancellations.

According to the survey, Delta Air Lines led the list with 640 cancellations, followed by United Airlines (530) and American Airlines (488). The most affected airports were Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta; O'Hare in Chicago; and John F. Kennedy in New York.

The shutdown affected thousands of flights in the Estados Unidos and also caused delays and cancellations at European airports, including those in Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.

The cause of the paralysis is still being investigated.

The Federal Aviation Administration of Estados Unidos (FAA) suspended take-offs at all airports in the country for about four hours on Friday, after a failure in the communication systems of air traffic control centers.

According to CBS News, the problem was caused by an update to the network operated by the company L3Harris, responsible for connecting the air control systems. The exact cause, however, is still under investigation.

The U.S. government initially ruled out indications of cyberattacks or the involvement of artificial intelligence systems. Microsoft, which also faced a global failure this week, denied any link between the episodes.

Third national shutdown in history

This was the third national takeoff shutdown in U.S. history. The previous ones occurred after the September 11, 2001 attacks and in January 2023, when a failure in an FAA system also halted operations.

According to the secretary, the priority is to ensure that passengers arrive safely at their homes and rejoin their families as soon as possible. “To our air traffic controllers, pilots and flight crews who are working nonstop: the nation thanks you for your professionalism and dedication to the public who travel by air,” he said.

Impacts in Brazil

The São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, registered delays and cancellations of flights coming from the US on Saturday morning, after the stoppage in the US. Among the flights with expected arrival until 7 am, two were cancelled. Both would depart from New York, with landings scheduled for 6:15 and 7:00.

After suspending takeoffs in the US, Galeão changes flights to New York. In a statement, the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) said on Friday that it monitors the impacts of the U.S. airstop and directs passengers to consult with airlines to check for possible changes to flights.

Guidance for passengers

The authorities instruct passengers to consult the airlines directly to check the status of their flights. Updated airport information is also available on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website.

A press conference is scheduled for 12:30 this Saturday, at the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to present new information on the situation.

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