US Transportation Secretary Promises End to Air Travel Disruptions Amidst Ongoing Cancellations and Delays
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated on Sunday in an interview with NBC that disruptions to air travel would be resolved by the end of the day or tomorrow. He sought to downplay the current issues plaguing the country, asserting that the “data transmission problem that caused the issue in the airport network has been eliminated.” He added that investigations are ongoing to determine whether the disruption stemmed from an installation error or a router defect.
Despite these assurances, significant disruptions to U.S. flights and passenger chaos persist. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had previously estimated that flight schedules would gradually return to normal by late Sunday. However, reports indicate widespread flight cancellations and delays continue.
Flight tracking website FlightAware reported that as of Saturday night, U.S. airlines had canceled over 6,400 flights and delayed more than 8,000 others. On Friday, approximately 9,200 flights were canceled and 7,500 flights experienced delays.
These disruptions began after the FAA issued a nationwide order grounding all departing flights due to issues with the air traffic control system’s communications. FlightAware also noted that over 875 flights scheduled for Sunday had already been canceled in advance.
