Commercial flights across the United States began returning to normal schedules on Sunday following a four-and-a-half-hour national ground stop that disrupted nearly 20 ribu penerbangan worldwide, detikNews reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration halted all departing flights on Friday afternoon after upgrade work on aging telecommunications infrastructure triggered a flood of data through air traffic control routers. Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford said that thousands of flights faced cancellation on Friday alone, while tracking data from FlightAware recorded more than 6,600 additional cancellations on Saturday.
The disruption marked the second time a nationwide ground stop has hit American airspace since the attacks of September 11, 2001. United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that contractors working to replace decades-old copper cabling with high-speed fiber-optic lines accidentally flooded the control system with data.
“Kami seperti terjebak di sini,” ujarnya.
“We have kembali beroperasi secara penuh,” Duffy told reporters, using the Indonesian-language reporting provided by ANTARA News Yogyakarta to describe the full restoration of air traffic services.
Infrastructure Upgrade Triggers Massive Aviation Chaos
The telecommunications modernization project led by government contractor L3Harris went awry when the migration from copper to fiber optics disrupted radar data flows and pilot communications.
Passengers encountered severe congestion across major aviation hubs, including LaGuardia Airport in New York and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Terminals filled with stranded travelers sleeping on benches and waiting for updated departure times.
“Lelah. Sangat lelah. Frustrasi. Ya, Anda tahu, situasinya benar-benar kacau, bukan?” ujar Lisa Beraid, seorang karyawan perusahaan asuransi berusia 48 tahun, told detikNews while waiting for a delayed flight at LaGuardia Airport.
Airlines such as Delta Air Lines and United Airlines canceled roughly 20 percent of their scheduled Saturday flights even after the Federal Aviation Administration lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m. UK Civil Aviation Authority consumer director Tim Johnson warned that knock-on scheduling delays would persist as carriers worked to reposition crews and aircraft.
Widespread Digital Outages Beyond Aviation
The telecommunications failure extended far beyond the aviation sector, disrupting critical public services and digital infrastructure across multiple states. According to AFU.id, the ticket reservation system for national passenger rail operator Amtrak crashed on Friday afternoon as thousands of stranded air travelers flooded online booking platforms.
Simultaneous technical failures affected municipal courts, hospitals, and legislative offices, compounded by ongoing global issues with Microsoft 365 services.
Gangguan penerbangan batalkan puluhan ribu jadwal terbang
Mengutip data dari AFP, sebanyak hampir 20 ribu penerbangan terdampak dan dibatalkan akibat gangguan tersebut, yang mengakibatkan ratusan ribu penumpang telantar serta mengganggu perjalanan di seluruh dunia. Kepala Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Bryan Bedford, merinci bahwa sebanyak 12 ribu penerbangan dibatalkan pada hari Jumat. Hingga Minggu pagi, situs pelacakan penerbangan FlightAware mencatat lebih dari 1.200 penerbangan dibatalkan.
Frequently Asked Questions About the US Airspace Shutdown
What caused the nationwide flight suspension in the United States?
United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that maintenance work to replace aging copper communication cables with high-speed fiber optics caused a data overflow in air traffic control routers.
How many total flights were affected by the disruption?
Federal Aviation Administration data cited by detikNews shows that nearly 20 ribu penerbangan were impacted and canceled across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning.
When did regular flight operations resume?
Federal Aviation Administration head Bryan Bedford estimated that flight schedules would return to complete operation by the end of Sunday, as reported by detikNews.
Earlier coverage: US Flight Cancellations Expected to Continue Following Ground Stop
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