US air travel may not return to normal until late Sunday after a nationwide disruption caused by technical problems with air traffic control communications, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Bryan Bedford said.
According to media reports, airlines cancelled more than 6,400 flights and delayed over 8,000 on Saturday, following approximately 9,200 cancellations and 7,500 delays on Friday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the disruption was linked to a router installation by FAA contractor L3Harris. Investigators are examining whether the problem resulted from installation errors or faulty equipment, while the FAA conducts further safety tests.
The technical failure affected communications at 17 of the FAA’s 22 en route control centres, prompting a nationwide ground stop that halted nearly all departing flights for almost five hours on Friday.
Major airlines continued to face large-scale cancellations on Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded as carriers worked to reposition aircraft and crews.
The incident has renewed concerns over ageing air traffic control infrastructure and staffing shortages. Duffy has called for $50 billion to modernise the system, while lawmakers have pledged to investigate the disruption and push for measures to prevent a recurrence.
