Disruptions in air transportation continue after flights were stopped across the country for more than 4 hours on November 13 due to the communication problem affecting air traffic control centers in the USA. Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restarted flights, thousands of flights were canceled and many passengers were stranded at airports. US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated at the press conference that the systems started operating at full capacity again and announced that 3,500 planes in the air when the flights were stopped landed safely.
MORE THAN 4 THOUSAND FLIGHTS WERE CANCELED
According to data from flight tracking site FlightAware, as of 20:00 Türkiye time, more than 4 thousand flights were canceled in the USA and more than 3 thousand flights were delayed. While airline companies continue to work to rearrange their flight schedules, passengers are advised to make changes to their travel plans. While American Airlines reported that the effects of the disruption in the national airspace system would continue, Delta Air Lines advised passengers with flexibility in their travels to postpone their flights to Monday, November 16, or later. United Airlines announced that delays and cancellations on some flights may continue due to the repositioning of aircraft and crew.
FLIGHTS ARE EXPECTED TO RETURN TO NORMAL ON SUNDAY
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stated that the decision to suspend flights was taken as a precaution due to instability in the communication system. Stating that approximately 30 thousand of the 50 thousand flights planned for Friday were completed or were in the air at the time of the decision, Bedford said that 8 thousand of the remaining 20 thousand flights were carried out. Bedford stated that approximately 9 thousand of the 12 thousand flights that could not be operated were commercial flights, and that they expected 4 to 5 thousand of the 41 thousand flights planned for Saturday to be canceled. Emphasizing that airline companies are trying to get their operations back in order, Bedford announced that flight schedules are expected to return to normal by the end of business on Sunday.
THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE IN THE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IS BEING INVESTIGATED
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the problem could be caused not only by old equipment but also by the telecommunications infrastructure used in air traffic control. Stating that old copper cables were converted into fiber optic infrastructure within the scope of routine maintenance works, Duffy stated that it has not yet been determined whether the malfunction was caused by the router equipment or the work of the contractor company. Regarding the possibility of a cyber attack, he stated that the systems were reactivated after the maintenance work was isolated and that they did not believe that the incident was a cyber attack.
50 BILLION DOLLAR RESOURCE REQUEST FROM CONGRESS
Following the FAA's longest flight suspension decision across the country since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the renewal of the USA's air traffic control infrastructure has come to the fore again. Transport Minister Duffy called on Congress, emphasizing the need to modernize aging systems. While Duffy reminded that he requested 50 billion dollars for the renewal of the air traffic control system, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that there has been no evidence of a cyber attack so far.
