Air India flights land on time despite US air traffic control failure
Five Air India nonstop flights reached their US destinations as the US Air Traffic Control System Command Centre issued a ground stop.
Five Air India nonstop flights landed on schedule on Friday despite a ground stop ordered by the US Air Traffic Control System Command Centre (ATCSCC) due to failing systems, according to the Times of India.
The Delhi-San Francisco (SFO) flight was approximately two hours from its destination when the advisory was issued at 2.24 am on November 14. The Boeing 777 (VT-ALS) landed in SFO at 5 am.
The ATCSCC advisory stated that inbound international flights would be managed on a case-by-case basis while all departing flights were asked to remain on the ground. Four other Air India flights, travelling from Delhi and Mumbai to Newark (EWR) and JFK, also landed as per schedule.
Of the five return flights, only the SFO-Delhi flight via Kolkata was delayed by about 2 hours and 40 minutes because of congestion at SFO. An official said all other flights, including two each out of EWR and JFK, operated on time.
A pilot in New York reported that the issue occurred just before 4 pm EST on Friday and was later determined to be a communication problem. Air India senior pilots noted this is the second US air traffic communication issue in less than four years, following an incident on January 10, 2023.
The US is prioritising international flights over domestic ones, and the situation is expected to take some days to recover due to a ripple effect.
