Full operation after the flight stop - but continued delays

On Friday evening Swedish time, the American aviation authority Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that all air traffic was stopped.

During work on the FAA's communication system, which affects both radar and air traffic control, the system was overloaded, announced US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at a press conference on Saturday.

- We had 3,500 planes in the air that were finally able to land, says Duffy, who thanks both pilots and passengers for their patience.

Switching from copper to fiber caused the error

According to the Secretary of Transportation, a subcontractor to the Civil Aviation Authority was replacing a very old telecommunications system at one of the FAA's facilities. A copper wire for analog transmission would be replaced by digital transmission through fiber. In connection with the work, the system was overloaded.

An investigation will now show whether it is a mistake on the part of the subcontractor or whether it is equipment that has failed.

Continued problems with delays and canceled flights

The large number of canceled flights on Friday will continue to affect traffic on Saturday. The FAA estimates that as many as 5,000 scheduled flights may have to be canceled. Only on Sunday will the traffic be able to return to normal.

According to Transport Minister Sean Duffy, the aviation authority's communications system has been underfunded and neglected for many years.

Last year, Congress decided to allocate $12.5 billion, equivalent to SEK 125 billion, to fix the FAA's outdated communications system. Earlier this week, the White House asked for an additional $30 billion to upgrade the systems, Reuters reports.