US flight chaos to continue on Sunday as FAA system failure delays thousands of flights

Air travel disruptions across the United States are expected to continue into Sunday, with thousands of passengers facing cancellations and delays after a technical failure in the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) air traffic control communications system brought flight operations to a near standstill.

FAA chief Bryan Bedford said on Saturday (local time) that airlines were unlikely to return to their normal schedules until late Sunday. The agency is continuing efforts to stabilise its systems and resolve the technical problems behind the nationwide disruption.

According to aviation tracking website FlightAware, more than 6,150 flights had been cancelled and over 7,300 delayed across the United States by 6.45 pm ET (2345 GMT) on Saturday. The situation followed an even worse day on Friday, when around 9,200 flights were cancelled and another 7,500 delayed. More than 530 flights scheduled for Sunday had also been cancelled by Saturday evening.

Bedford apologised to passengers affected by the disruption and assured them that the country's aviation system remained stable. He said the FAA was working to restore normal operations, with flight services expected to largely recover by late Sunday.

The disruption has left thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country. Airlines are also struggling to reposition aircraft, pilots and other crew members, making it harder to restore regular flight schedules even as the technical issue is being addressed.

What Caused The Nationwide Flight Disruption?

The crisis began on Friday when the FAA issued a nationwide ground stop, halting almost all departing flights across the country for nearly five hours.

The interruption was the longest nationwide disruption to air travel since the September 11, 2001, attacks and resulted in one of the worst single days for aviation in US history.

The scale of the disruption prompted an emergency meeting at the White House, where officials gathered in the Situation Room to assess the situation and investigate its possible causes.

Authorities initially examined whether a cyberattack could have triggered the breakdown. However, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later said the technical problem had been traced to the installation of at least one new router by FAA contractor L3Harris at a remote facility.

Although the FAA is working to resolve the issue, the impact on airline schedules is expected to continue as carriers deal with the backlog of cancelled and delayed flights.

(With IANS inputs)