Massive tech outage grounds flights across US airports
Photo: aircraft at US airport (Getty Images)
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily suspended flights at several major airports on the country's East Coast due to a large-scale technical failure in the communication system, according to Newsweek.
According to media reports, the failure led to widespread disruptions in air traffic across the country. As of Monday, over 5,600 flights had been delayed or cancelled, including about 1,200 in the New York area.
Over 100 flights had to be diverted to other airports.
The problem occurred at the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which manages air traffic. According to the FAA, the main communication line failed.
When specialists tried to switch to the backup system, it turned out that the backup fiber optic cable had been accidentally damaged by a construction crew in New Jersey.
Due to the lack of proper communication, the FAA temporarily restricted the use of airspace in the northeastern United States. The restrictions affected three major New York airports, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark, as well as airports in Philadelphia and Boston.
Temporary restrictions were also in effect at several smaller airports in the region.
The failure occurred on the opening day of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly, when about 130 world leaders and dozens of ministers were arriving in New York. This further complicated the air travel situation.
The FAA stated that system restoration is proceeding gradually, but full restoration of air traffic depends on when specialists can guarantee the safe operation of communication systems.
This is not the first mass failure in US civil aviation. Previously, authorities ordered an investigation into this matter.
In Europe, aircraft often cannot see GPS signals, which negatively affects flights. Researchers have proven that Russia is responsible for this.
