The US Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday, 13 November, allowing flights to depart again after a communications problem disrupted air traffic control.
Departures update: US flights began taking off again on Friday evening. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport confirmed that some departures had resumed, CBS Texas reported. Airlines were still working through delays and cancellations as they restored their schedules.
The FAA halted departures across the country as a safety precaution after issues affected regional air traffic control centres. The initial advisory said inbound international flights would be handled individually. The restrictions lasted more than four hours, ABC News reported.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the communications outage to an overload of an ageing analogue system. He warned that it would take time for air traffic to return to normal.
Airlines continued to deal with cancellations as the restrictions were lifted. JetBlue cancelled its remaining domestic flights for Friday evening, while Air Canada cancelled its flights between Canada and the United States for the rest of the evening, according to the Associated Press.
Sources: Associated Press and ABC News and CBS Texas.
