The U.S. government announced on Friday the reopening of national airspace, following a technological failure that forced the suspension of departures and the management of landings for more than 3,000 aircraft.
The Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, explained during a press conference at the White House that the incident started at 3:36 p.m., when the radar and communication systems of air traffic control centers began to show instability at different points across the country.
According to the official, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the suspension of departures as a precautionary measure, due to discrepancies found in the radar data and communications between controllers and aircraft.
Duffy specified that there were more than 3,500 aircraft in the air when the emergency began. During the statement, he reported that there were fewer than 400 aircraft remaining in the airspace, while the others had been guided to the ground through established safety procedures.
The secretary acknowledged that communications and radar signals operated intermittently. When asked about the possibility that some planes had completely lost contact with controllers at certain times, he responded that this could have happened.
However, he maintained that emergency procedures helped prevent accidents and highlighted the training of pilots and controllers. "We managed to ensure that more than 3,500 aircraft landed safely by following a systematic, albeit slow, procedure," he stated.
So far, any type of cyberattack has been ruled out, although investigations are ongoing, stated the Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin. Apparently, everything is related to the obsolescence of the technological systems that manage flights, for which, both officials insisted, urgent funding is needed for renewal.
"The incident caused a collapse at airports across the country. The day's tally resulted in over 6,500 canceled flights and nearly 10,000 delayed, with hundreds of thousands of passengers affected by the glitch in the computer system," summarized El País. This media outlet elaborated that this is the longest flight suspension in the United States since the one that followed the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
U.S. authorities confirmed that the airspace was reopened at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time, after technical teams managed to restore the operations of the control centers and the facilities responsible for managing airport approaches.
The reopening, however, does not imply an immediate normalization. Duffy warned that the recovery will depend on the availability of pilots, flight attendants, and aircraft, so some services may resume during the night and others starting the following morning.
The official acknowledged that tens of thousands of people were left at the airports, separated from their families and unaware of where they would spend the night. He also explained that the Government is working with the airlines to reorganize operations and transport passengers to their destinations.
During the emergency, certain essential flights were maintained, including those for medical evacuations, transportation of medications, and organs for transplants, as well as operations of law enforcement forces. Duffy clarified that these exceptions were possible because there was no complete loss of communications and radar.
Markwayne Mullin announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has activated its centers to address the needs of affected passengers, especially those who may require medication during the disruption of their travels.
In response to questions about potential repercussions on travel due to Thanksgiving, Duffy expressed confidence that the system will regain its operational capacity before the peak travel period. However, he acknowledged that it will still be necessary to address the consequences of the interruptions that accumulated throughout the day.
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