Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said the worst of the disruptions is behind passengers after a major nationwide stoppage.
US air travel is expected to return to normal by the end of Sunday, according to The New Indian Express, following the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford said on Saturday that while airlines will still face delays and cancellations, the worst is behind them.
The ground stop, which lasted more than four hours on Friday, was caused by new technology being added to the air traffic control system. Trump administration officials said the new technology overloaded antiquated equipment, leading to intermittent communications and radar gaps.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said a contractor had been working to replace a section of old copper wire with new fiber wire, which caused the system overload. Duffy stated that officials are investigating whether the cause was a faulty wire or contractor incompetence, adding that the contractor did not meet the moment.
Aviation consultant Andrew Charlton said the stoppage affected about a quarter of the 45,000 daily flights in the US. He noted that the knock-on effect is significant as aircraft move through multiple destinations.
The nationwide stop was the first since a computer system malfunction in January 2023 and the second since the September 11, 2001, attacks. Officials expect the system to be normal in time for the Thanksgiving travel rush.
