On a Saturday when the sky over the Pacific was ordinary and the machinery of travel seemed to run without friction, a single distant fault in American communications reached all the way down to Australian runways. A nationwide pause ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration, responding to a brief telecommunications outage, held travellers in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on the tarmac and at the gate for hours. The order was lifted the same afternoon, and the cause is still under investigation, a reminder of how tightly the world's flights are knotted together through systems most passe
US-Bound Flights From Australia Delayed as FAA Telecom Outage Grounds American Air Traffic
Passengers were stranded on tarmacs for around three hours, and one aircraft needed extra fuel after running air conditioning while waiting.
The cause was thousands of kilometres away.
Mark
Why did a problem in the US hold up planes in Sydney?
Mimi
Because the FAA stopped departures and delayed landings at all US airports. Flights bound for America had nowhere cleared to arrive, so some were grounded or held on the ground in Australia.
Mark
How long were people waiting?
Mimi
Passengers on Sydney flights reported about three hours on the tarmac. In Melbourne, a Los Angeles flight due shortly after 10am was delayed almost three hours.
Luke
Is that three hours confirmed, or what passengers said?
Mimi
For Sydney it's passenger reports. The Melbourne delay is described in the airport reporting. The tarmac detail came from passengers, not the airport.
Mark
There's a detail about fuel.
Mimi
One plane needed extra fuel after running its air-conditioning for hours while waiting. It's a small thing that shows what the wait looked like on board.
Luke
Do we know what caused the outage?
Mimi
No. The FAA called it a temporary telecommunications outage and is still investigating. Anything beyond that would be a guess.
Mark
And are the delays over?
Mimi
Melbourne's were all cleared by 3pm. In Brisbane, two of four delayed flights had left by then. Sydney's overall knock-on effect wasn't known when the ban lifted.
Luke
So the full tally is still incomplete.
Mimi
Yes. Airports and Qantas are telling people to check with their airline.
O Pulso
- A nationwide US ground stop, triggered by a telecommunications failure, froze departures and landings across America in an instant.
- Sydney passengers sat on tarmacs for about three hours while aircraft idled and one plane burned extra fuel to keep its air-conditioning running.
- Melbourne's Los Angeles and Dallas flights were held for nearly three hours, and Brisbane logged four delays as airports scrambled for updates.
- The FAA lifted the order before 1pm and Melbourne's queue had cleared by 3pm, but the outage's cause remains unexplained and travellers are told to check with their airlines.
On a Saturday when the sky over the Pacific was ordinary and the machinery of travel seemed to run without friction, a single distant fault in American communications reached all the way down to Australian runways. A nationwide pause ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration, responding to a brief telecommunications outage, held travellers in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on the tarmac and at the gate for hours. The order was lifted the same afternoon, and the cause is still under investigation, a reminder of how tightly the world's flights are knotted together through systems most passengers never see.
On Saturday, passengers on some US-bound flights out of Sydney sat on the tarmac for about three hours. The cause lay thousands of kilometres away: the Federal Aviation Administration had halted departures and delayed landings at every airport in the United States after what it called a temporary telecommunications outage.
The wait was not only tedious. On at least one aircraft, the air-conditioning ran for hours while the plane sat still, and it needed extra fuel before it could go. Sydney Airport told passengers travelling to or via the US to check with their airlines for the latest information.
Melbourne felt it too. A Los Angeles flight due shortly after 10am was delayed almost three hours, and two more American departures were held. A Dallas flight scheduled for 10am finally left around 1pm, just after the restriction was lifted shortly before that hour. By 3pm, every delayed Melbourne flight had departed. Brisbane saw four delays, two of which had cleared by mid-afternoon.
The FAA has lifted the order but is still working out what caused the outage. Until it explains more, travellers heading to the US from Australia are advised to confirm their flights with their airlines before heading to the airport.
On Saturday, passengers on some US-bound flights out of Sydney sat on the tarmac for about three hours before their planes finally took off. The cause was thousands of kilometres away: American authorities had halted departures and delayed landings at every airport in the United States.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced the nationwide pause in response to what it called a temporary telecommunications outage. Sydney Airport said some US-bound flights had been grounded. A spokesperson said the airport was aware of the nationwide ground stop issued by the FAA and was monitoring the situation closely, and told passengers travelling to or via the United States to check with their airline for the latest information.
The waiting had a physical cost on at least one aircraft. Passengers on one Sydney flight reported that the plane needed extra fuel after running its air-conditioning for several hours while it waited.
Melbourne was affected too. Passengers expecting to leave for Los Angeles shortly after 10am were delayed by almost three hours. Two other US-bound departures from Melbourne, due at 12pm and 12.45pm, were also held up. A flight to Dallas scheduled for 10am left at around 1pm, shortly after the US restriction was lifted.
Sydney Airport confirmed that the ban on arrivals into the US was lifted shortly before 1pm. It was not yet known how the lifting would affect the delays already in motion. By 3pm on Saturday, all of the delayed flights from Melbourne had departed.
Brisbane saw four flights delayed, two of which had departed by 3pm. A Brisbane Airport spokesperson advised passengers travelling to North America to contact their airline for the latest information about their flight. Qantas thanked its passengers for their patience and recommended that anyone with upcoming US flights check its website for more information.
The FAA has lifted the grounding order but is still investigating what caused the outage. Until it says more, travellers heading to the US from Australia are being told to check with their airlines before leaving for the airport.
Citações Notáveis
We are aware of the nationwide ground stop issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration and are monitoring the situation closely.— Sydney Airport spokesperson
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Leia o original em The Guardian ↗