Summary
President Donald Trump called on Congress to provide more funding to upgrade the air traffic control system after a nationwide ground stop disrupted airline travel. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the disruption followed work replacing old copper wire with fiber and that flights were expected to return to full capacity by Monday.Key Facts
- The nationwide ground stop began Friday afternoon and disrupted airline travel.
- Trump said his administration had begun upgrading the air traffic control system and urged Congress to approve additional funding.
- Congress approved $12.5 billion for the FAA in a tax-cut package last year; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described it as a down payment on a broader overhaul.
- A 2021 infrastructure law set aside $25 billion for FAA improvements, including work on airport facilities and the air traffic control system.
- Duffy said contractor L3Harris was replacing old copper wire with fiber when the system overloaded.
- Duffy said a router at an FAA facility in El Dorado, Arkansas, was involved, and a problem later appeared at a facility in Amarillo, Texas.
- Duffy said airlines were working to restore operations and expected flights to run at full capacity by Monday.
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