Akshay DidwaniyaAirlines scrubbed more than 4,100 flights across the United States on Friday. Delays passed 10,000 after a nationwide communications failure disrupted air travel.
Thousands of Flights Grounded Across America
US flight cancellations climbed past 4,100 on Friday. The total covers domestic trips and flights to and from the country. More than 10,000 other flights ran late as a nationwide communications failure hit air travel. Flight tracking data confirms these figures.
Latest Numbers From American Airports
At 7:25 pm Eastern time on Friday, the count of cancelled flights at US airports reached 4,101. That was 5:55 am Indian time on Saturday. Delayed flights stood at 10,079 at the same moment.
Nationwide Departure Halt and Timeline
The press office of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said earlier that it had paused departures at every US airport. It pointed to emergency conditions and safety concerns. Officials will review arriving international flights one by one.
The restrictions began at 3:53 pm Eastern time, which was 01:23 pm in Delhi. Officials expect them to last until between 11:00 and 11:30 pm local time. That equals 9:30 to 10:00 am Indian time on Saturday.
More Than 1.5 Million Passengers Affected
Aviation analytics company Cirium estimates that the ban hit over 1.5 million passengers. The wave of US flight cancellations also reached beyond American borders. Mexico reported temporary limits on flights to the United States because of the disruption.
Aditya Didwaniya
Pratik Agrawal
