In these minutes, US air traffic controllers in all states are trying to establish a flight schedule. For the first time in 22 years, all passenger flights in the country were either delayed, canceled or interrupted. Only 3 hours ago, the first liners took to the air once more. It may take another day to fully restore air traffic between the states, Day.Az reports citing Vesti.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I know that we are all waiting for information regarding flights. Just received information from the Civil Aviation Authority – they have suspended flights throughout the country until 9 am,” they say on the speakerphone.
Such announcements sounded early in the morning both at small regional airports and at huge American hubs. 4,000 flights delayed, 700 cancelled. From the east to the west coast, from 4 a.m. Washington time, planes were only accepted, but not sent.
There has not been such a large-scale disruption to air travel in the United States since the September 11 attacks, when all planes in the air were instructed to land urgently.
NOTAM in modern aviation is a cheat sheet that reduces risks and makes flights predictable. The electronic notifications that the system sends to crews contain information regarding the status of airport air navigation equipment, various prohibitions and constantly changing restrictions. Right down to where a crane works at one or another lane, or in which direction flocks of birds fly. Flying without NOTAM is largely a flight at your own peril and risk. In principle, it is possible, but very, very carefully.
“It’s quite unusual and it highlights the fragility of the whole system. If something goes wrong, there’s a chain reaction,” says Peter Goltz, former managing director of the National Transportation Safety Board.
The main question is why the system failed. But here who hurts. In the morning conspiracy theorists became more active. Who is blamed, you can guess the first time.
“The civil aviation management system cannot just suddenly collapse. I’m willing to bet that it was a cyberattack from Russia or from Iran. Or maybe they even worked on it together,” conspiracy theorists say.
All these people are not ordinary users, but more or less well-known public figures in the United States. However, the White House has not yet supported any of them.
“The Secretary of Transportation briefed the President this morning on the failure that occurred at the US Federal Aviation Administration. There is currently no information indicating that this is a cyber attack,” White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre wrote.
Karin’s boss Jean Pierre had also been a passenger the day before. Joe Biden is back from Mexico. I had to get up early today.
“I just spoke with Transportation Minister Butidzic. They don’t know what the reason is. I told him to let me know directly when the information comes out,” Biden said.
Perhaps the problem, as usual, is in the worn-out American infrastructure, including the management infrastructure.
“The Civil Aviation Authority is acting very stupidly. There is no excuse for what is happening. We need experienced people who will deal with such issues, and not just those who have the right connections in Washington,” says the head of an aviation consulting company, Mike Boyd.
That is, in the field of aviation, the Washington swamp rules. The family of the main wrestler with him, of course, might not remain silent either.
“We are turning into a third world country. We have the opportunity to send $130 billion to Ukraine, filling ourselves with unsustainable debts that our children and grandchildren will deal with. But at the same time, we cannot ensure that our aviation system works in our country Great job Democrats,” Trump Jr wrote.
At 9 a.m., planes over the United States began to take off once more, but the chaos on the ground did not decrease. Along the chain, the stock exchanges were also affected. Shares of Delta, American Airlines and United fell in pre-market trading. America’s reputational losses have not yet been considered. But they will definitely hang on someone.