Credit, Reuters
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued this Friday (11/13) a nationwide suspension order for all flights following a communication problem, according to US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy.
In a publication on X, Duffy stated that the failure affected all air traffic control centers responsible for monitoring en route flights.
"FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will release updates as soon as we have new information," he said.
Multiple sources told CBS (the BBC's U.S. media partner) that the failure was caused by an update to the private communications network that connects the U.S. air traffic control system.
The network, which according to CBS is operated by the company L3Harris, restarted as a result of the update and subsequently suffered a breakdown. The company did not respond to a request for a position from the BBC.
On its website, L3Harris claims to be the "premier supplier" of communications systems for the world's most advanced airspaces, as well as weapon systems and Command and Control platforms.
The last time the United States ordered a nationwide suspension of flights was in January 2023, when a failure hit the pilot notification system. Previously, this had occurred due to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin assured reporters at the White House that Friday's order is not a new "9/11." He stated that "the population should not be afraid at all."
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"This is an interruption in telecommunications services," Mullin said. "Everyone is safe."
According to the secretary, the stoppage is not related to the global failure of Microsoft services that began on Thursday (12/11).
How many flights were affected?
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So far, it is not clear how many flights were actually affected by the measure. International flights to the United States are being handled on a case-by-case basis, the FAA said.
According to flight monitoring website Flightradar24, 3,100 aircraft in flight are in the air on their way to airports in the United States.
Several US airports confirmed that flights were suspended following the FAA's announcement. Among the airports that released statements are those in Atlanta, Reagan (in the Washington region), Miami, Baltimore-Washington, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York (JFK) and Philadelphia.
However, around 9pm this Friday (Brasília time), the BBC was informed that some flights began to be authorized to take off at San Francisco International Airport. The airport posted on social media that "flights to the Pacific region — including locations in Hawaii and Asia — are now authorized to depart."
Earlier, the website for Eurocontrol, which controls flights from 42 countries (including European Union nations, the United Kingdom and Ukraine), stated that all air traffic to the US had been halted.
In Brazil, the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) did not say how many flights were affected, but said in a statement that it was monitoring the situation.
The largest in the country, the international airport of Guarulhos said it had received a security alert from the US Federal Aviation Command Center so that all air traffic originating from or going to the US remains on the ground until further notice, according to concessionaire GRU Airport.
American Airlines reported that flights that are already in the air will continue to their destinations, but interruptions to the regular schedule are expected for the remainder of the day.
"American's entire team will be mobilized to ensure passengers continue their journey as quickly as possible as soon as the FAA lifts this nationwide shutdown of airline operations," it said in a statement.
United Airlines has confirmed that new domestic flights will not take off while the suspension of ground operations is in effect; International departures are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the FAA.
The airline advised passengers to check the current status of their flights or rebook via its website.
A passenger on a plane at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) stated that aircraft that have just landed are not receiving authorization to leave the runway and proceed to the arrival gates.
The passenger, who traveled from Newark, told CBS News, the BBC's partner in the United States, that the plane was unable to move to the gate because another aircraft, which was scheduled to take off, did not receive authorization to depart.
Another passenger who had just landed in Austin told the broadcaster that he and the other travelers were told to "wait" inside the aircraft, without being able to disembark.
What else is known and what remains to be known
It is not yet clear how many flights are on the ground after their takeoff was suspended. It is also unknown how long it will take to resolve the issue.
The nationwide suspension was announced after the FAA halted air traffic in Chicago due to communication problems between flight controllers.
The warning about the suspension was published on the agency's website, citing "extraordinary circumstances" and security reasons, but was later withdrawn.
According to BBC journalist Theo Leggett, who specializes in international business, although it is not known exactly what caused today's problem, it is known that US air traffic control systems are obsolete.
Last year, Congress approved US$12.5 billion (about R$70 billion) for modernizations, but much more is needed, says Leggett.
Just a few weeks ago, the FAA committed to replacing, by the end of 2028, systems that still rely on floppy disks — a type of local data storage that was common in the 1980s and 1990s.
What should passengers in Brazil do in light of the situation?
According to Anac, passengers with scheduled flights should contact their respective airlines to check the status of their flight and whether there are any changes.
The agency stated that companies must frequently inform passengers about delays, cancellations and service interruptions, in addition to offering "free material assistance" in these cases, depending on the waiting time at the airport.
"For delays longer than 4 hours, cancellations and service interruption, the company must offer, for the passenger to choose, the options of: re-accommodation on another flight; full refund; and execution of the service by another mode of transport, as applicable", said Anac.
"We emphasize that reaccommodation is free and must occur, on your own flight or on another airline, at the first opportunity, that is, on a new flight whose date and time are closer to the delayed, canceled or interrupted flight."
"If this alternative is not convenient for the passenger, they can choose another flight, at a date and time of their convenience, but only from the airline itself and within the remaining validity period of the ticket", informs the agency's note.
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