PNN – Regarding the cancellation of thousands of flights in the United States, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation stated that while Congress allocated $12.5 billion for the modernization of navigation systems, it did not provide the full amount requested.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing Al Jazeera, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy—seeking to downplay the ongoing issues in the country—remarked today, Saturday, that flight operations have fully returned to normal following the disruptions that occurred yesterday, Friday. He noted that when the order to halt flights was issued, 500 aircraft were in the air, all of which landed safely.
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation stated that these disruptions occurred during maintenance operations to upgrade cabling from analog to digital. We are using aging air traffic control equipment—decades old—that needs to be replaced. It remains unclear whether the flight disruptions stemmed from a technical issue with routers or from operational inefficiencies. The failure of the air navigation systems was not the result of a cyber-attack!
Sean Duffy, deflecting attention from the Trump administration’s widespread shortcomings, claimed: President Trump called for the modernization of air navigation systems, but Congress failed to grasp the importance of this issue. We have been discussing the modernization of the air traffic control system for about two years and have requested that Congress provide the necessary funding. Congress allocated $12.5 billion for the modernization of navigation systems, but it did not provide the full amount requested. Modernizing the aviation system enjoys bipartisan support. A significant portion of these funds is being spent in cities and states that lean Democratic. We hope that the modernization of the aviation system will receive support from Congress; for our part, we will continue to engage with lawmakers.
In this regard, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives told Fox News that the modernization of the air traffic control system should not become a partisan issue. There is no need for an investigation to understand the necessity of upgrading the air traffic control system, given that some of its equipment dates back to the 1980s.