Suspension of flights in the US is the second national shutdown since 9/11

At the time, a failure in the agency's aeronautical information system caused the cancellation of more than 1,300 flights and delays in almost 10,000. According to the US government, the 2023 incident was the first national shutdown of its kind since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

This time, the FAA reported that the measure was adopted due to extraordinary circumstances and safety reasons. The guidance is that all flights scheduled to depart from the United States remain on the ground until further notice.

The suspension was announced after the FAA halted air traffic in Chicago due to communication problems between flight controllers.

According to the agency, international flights to the United States will be evaluated individually.

According to data from monitoring website FlightAware, almost 7,000 flights in the United States were delayed or canceled as a result of the national suspension.

TV Globo learned from a source who works in a control tower at a New York airport that the problem is related to a crossing of radio frequencies.

As a result, more than one aircraft can transmit messages at the same time on the same frequency, which makes communication with controllers difficult.

In practice, professionals cannot clearly identify which plane is talking to the tower.

The initial forecast was that the restriction would last until 22:00 UTC (19:00 Brasília time).