Air Traffic Returns to Normal

In both the United States and the Caribbean, air traffic returned to normal on Saturday, November 14. Late yesterday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspended all flights in the United States due to communication problems at regional air traffic control centers. This system outage affected international air traffic. For example, the Air France flight scheduled to depart last night from Princess Juliana Airport in Sint Maarten bound for Paris was grounded. Passengers who had boarded the plane were deplaned early in the evening. They were provided with hotel accommodations, and the flight was rescheduled. The plane is scheduled to take off this Saturday, November 14, at 11:30 a.m. According to Saint Barthélemy Airport management, eight flights departing from Sint Maarten were canceled yesterday due to the suspension ordered by the FAA.