US flight disruptions expected to continue until late Sunday, FAA chief says

US air travel disruptions are expected to continue until late Sunday, with airlines gradually recovering from a nationwide flight shutdown caused by problems with air traffic communication systems, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief said.

According to FlightAware, more than 6,400 flights were cancelled and over 8,000 delayed across the US on Saturday. This followed around 9,200 cancellations and 7,500 delays on Friday. Another 875 Sunday flights had already been cancelled.

FAA head Bryan Bedford said airline operations were expected to largely return to normal by late Sunday. He apologised for the disruption and assured that the aviation system remained stable.

The nationwide ground stop on Friday halted nearly all departing flights for almost five hours, marking the longest such shutdown since the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The White House initially considered the possibility of a cyberattack, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later linked the issue to the installation of at least one new router by FAA contractor L3Harris.

Duffy said investigators were examining whether the disruption resulted from human error or faulty equipment. The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union said two upgraded routers were involved, reportedly located in Arkansas and Texas. L3Harris said it was assisting the FAA with the investigation.