AI Image
FAA ground stop latest updates: Saturday cancellations top 6,000; controllers’ union chief says communications with some planes were disrupted; Duffy blames L3Harris
Yahoo • • business
Key Points:
- More than 6,400 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday as airlines recovered from Friday's nationwide FAA ground stop, the longest since 9/11, with schedules expected to normalize by Sunday night.
- The outage began during routine maintenance by L3Harris Technologies, involving a router switch from copper wire to fiber that disrupted communications across the FAA network, affecting flights and radar.
- FAA and Transportation officials are investigating whether the issue was caused by contractor error or faulty equipment, while L3Harris supports the investigation but has not detailed the cause.
- The FAA's air traffic control network has been criticized as outdated, with calls for increased funding to replace it; current maintenance is done on paper logs, complicating oversight.
- Political fallout includes New York Governor Kathy Hochul demanding Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's resignation and calls for congressional investigation, while airlines offer refunds and waivers to affected travelers.
