Flights all over the US were delayed yesterday after communications problems at a Federal Aviation Administration centre.
The problem meant that airlines couldn’t enter their flight plans into a system used by airports throughout the country. This led to a situation where air traffic controllers were being forced to type up flight plans, which slowed everything down.
Another FAA centre in Atlanta was affected and there were delays at Atlanta International Airport. Delta Airlines cancelled 54 flights in all. American Airlines delayed several hundred.
Senator Charles E Schumer said:
“If we don’t deliver the resources, manpower and technology, these technical glitches that cause cascading delays and chaos across the country are going to become a very regular occurrence.”