WASHINGTON
The White House provided further details on Saturday regarding a technical failure that disrupted the US air traffic control network on Friday, forcing aviation authorities to ground flights nationwide for several hours.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that the disruption occurred during routine maintenance carried out by a contractor working for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The contractor was operating at a remote facility to replace an outdated copper telecommunications cable with a modern fibre-optic connection. However, an unidentified technical problem during the upgrade reportedly overwhelmed the country’s ageing air traffic control infrastructure, resulting in a communications breakdown.
The malfunction forced the FAA to suspend flight operations across the United States as a precautionary measure, affecting thousands of passengers and causing widespread travel disruption.
Duffy confirmed that an investigation would examine the circumstances surrounding the maintenance operation and identify the exact source of the failure. Investigators will determine whether the incident resulted from professional negligence or a defective router.
Meanwhile, airlines continued efforts on Saturday to manage the consequences of the disruption. Thousands of passengers in the United States and other parts of the world faced delays as carriers attempted to reorganize flight schedules, reposition aircraft and crews, and resume normal services.
Authorities are expected to use the investigation’s findings to establish responsibility and identify measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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