US
US will condemn violence – from opposition or govt security forces in Bangladesh: Donald Lu
US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has emphasised the government and the opposition “working together peacefully” to ensure the freedom of assembly as Bangladesh moves towards the next national election.
“We as Americans, we will condemn violence when we see it – if it is on the part of the opposition, or it is on the part of government security forces. At the same time, we are going to focus on whether there is any intimidation during the election… we will say this publicly,” he told Channel 24 in an interview before wrapping up his visit on Sunday (January 15, 2023).
Lu referred to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment to a fair election and said US also wants a free and fair election without “violence and intimidation.”
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday conveyed to the United States that they, as a government, want a “free, fair, transparent and credible” election and there should be no doubt about that.
Read more: Civil society voices crucial to upholding people’s right to freedom, dignity in every country: US
Lu also expressed US’ commitment to upholding democracy and human rights. “We will speak when we see problems and when we can offer suggestions. We will stand up for freedom of speech, freedom of expression. And we look forward to working very closely with our partners here in Bangladesh,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Responding to a question, the US Assistant Secretary told Channel 24 that they did not designate more individuals from the Rab to face individual sanctions. “We did not do that because we recognize the progress being made by the government and by the Rab itself.”
Talking to reporters at MoFA, Lu said they had “quite a good discussion” about the Rab. “If you have seen the statement this week by the Human Rights Watch, they recognised and we recognised tremendous progress in the area of reducing extrajudicial killings by the Rab,” he said.
On the security of diplomats, Lu said they take the security of Bangladeshi diplomats in the US very seriously.
Read more: Lu pledges US administration's continuous support, cooperation for all future efforts
“We spend a lot of time making sure that they are safe. We expect the same treatment from Bangladesh,” he said, adding that he was given assurance from every meeting he attended during his Bangladesh visit.
The United States has also said civil society voices in every country are crucial to upholding people’s right to freedom and dignity.
Assistant Secretary Donald Lu and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas hosted a dinner on Sunday night and listened to the work of human rights advocates in Bangladesh.
Lu left Dhaka early Monday (2 am), wrapping up his quick visit with a series of meetings.
Read more: Donald Lu: Issues of participatory polls, CHT discussed over lunch at FSA
Civil society voices crucial to upholding people’s right to freedom, dignity in every country: US
The United States has said civil society voices in every country are crucial to upholding people’s right to freedom and dignity.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas hosted a dinner on Sunday night listened to the work of human rights advocates in Bangladesh.
Lu left Dhaka early Monday (2am) wrapping up his quick visit with a series of meetings.
Read more: Lu pledges US administration's continuous support, cooperation for all future efforts
Dhaka Wasa rubbishes report on MD’s 14 US houses as baseless
Dhaka Wasa has denounced as baseless and fabricated a recent Bangladesh news report that its managing director Taqsem A Khan owns 14 apartments in the United States.
“Dhaka Wasa dismisses the report with contempt. The news has been published with motive and it has no connection with the reality,” said a Dhaka Wasa press release signed by its deputy-chief public relation officer Mostafa Tareque.
The press release stated that MD Taqsem does not own any of the residences described in that news report. However, his wife, who has been working in the US as a government official, owns only one apartment.
“A vested interest group published this false and baseless report to serve their own vested interests,” said the release.
Also Read: BFIU summons WASA chief Taqsem’s bank account details
Dhaka Wasa condemns the publication of such false news, it observed.
The press release described Taqsem as a visionary managing director of the city’s water and sewage authority. It said it was because of his vision Dhaka Wasa has been able to increase its water supply to up to 275 crore litres as against the daily demand of about 270 crore litres.
US committed to continued cooperation with Bangladesh to improve labor rights: Donald Lu
The United States is "committed" to continued cooperation with Bangladesh in its efforts to improve labor rights, visiting US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu said today.
At a meeting with Bangladeshi labor leaders, Lu listened to their experiences and concerns.
Earlier in the morning, he had a breakfast meeting with Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman.
Read more: Momen, Lu discuss key bilateral issues over dinner
The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs had a meeting over dinner with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at his residence on Saturday night.
Key issues of bilateral relations were discussed during Lu's over one-hour stay at the foreign minister's official residence, a diplomatic source told UNB.
Survivors emerge from wreckage after US storms kill 9 people
Stunned residents tried to salvage belongings, and rescue crews pulled survivors from beneath collapsed houses Friday in the aftermath of a tornado-spawning storm system that killed at least nine people as it barreled across parts of Georgia and Alabama.
The widespread destruction came into view a day after violent storms flipped mobile homes into the air, sent uprooted trees crashing through buildings, snapped trees and utility poles and derailed a freight train.
Those who emerged with their lives gave thanks as they searched the wreckage to find anything worth saving.
“God was sure with us,” Tracey Wilhelm said as she looked over the shattered remnants of her mobile home in Alabama's Autauga County.
She was at work Thursday when a tornado lifted her mobile home off its foundation and dumped it several feet away in a heap of rubble. Her husband and their five dogs scrambled into a shed that stayed intact, she said. Rescue workers later found them inside unharmed.
A search crew also found five people unharmed but trapped in a storm shelter after a wall from the adjacent house fell onto it, Autauga County Coroner Buster Barber said. Someone inside had a phone and kept calling for help.
Read more: 48 deaths reported in US from massive storm
The National Weather Service, which was working to confirm the twisters, said suspected tornado damage was reported in at least 14 counties in Alabama and 14 in Georgia. Temperatures were forecast to plunge below freezing overnight in hard-hit areas of both states, where more than 30,000 homes and businesses remained without power at sundown.
The twister blamed for killing at least seven people in rural Autauga County left damage consistent with an EF3 tornado, which is just two steps below the most powerful category of twister. The tornado had winds of at least 136 mph (218 kph), the weather service said.
Downtown Selma, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) to the southwest, also sustained severe damage before the worst of the weather moved across Georgia south of Atlanta.
At least 12 people were taken to hospitals, Ernie Baggett, Autauga County’s emergency management director, said as crews cut through downed trees looking for survivors.
About 40 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, including several mobile homes that were launched into the air, he said.
“They weren’t just blown over," he said. "They were blown a distance.”
In Selma, the city council met on a sidewalk using lights from cellphones and declared a state of emergency.
A 5-year-old child riding in a vehicle was killed by a falling tree in central Georgia's Butts County, said Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director James Stallings. He said a parent who was driving suffered critical injuries.
Elsewhere, a state Department of Transportation worker was killed while responding to storm damage, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said. He gave no further details.
Kemp surveyed some of the worst storm damage by helicopter. In some areas, he said, rescue teams had to dig into collapsed homes to free trapped survivors.
“We know people that were stranded in homes where literally the whole house collapsed, and they were under the crawl space,” Kemp told reporters.
The governor said the storm inflicted damage statewide, with some of the worst around Troup County near the Georgia-Alabama line, where more than 100 homes were hit. At least 12 people were treated at a hospital in Spalding County, south of Atlanta, where the weather service confirmed at least two tornadoes struck.
The storm hit Spalding County as mourners gathered for a wake at Peterson's Funeral Home in Griffin. About 20 people scrambled for shelter in a restroom and an office when a loud boom sounded as a large tree fell on the building.
“When we came out, we were in total shock," said Sha-Meeka Peterson-Smith, the funeral home's chief operational officer. "We heard everything, but didn’t know how bad it actually was.”
The uprooted tree crashed straight through the front of the building, she said, destroying a viewing room, a lounge and a front office. No one was hurt.
The tornado that hit Selma cut a wide path through the downtown area. Brick buildings collapsed, oak trees were uprooted, cars were tossed onto their sides and power lines were left dangling. Several people had serious injuries, Selma Mayor James Perkins said, but no deaths were reported.
Read more: Storms, tornadoes slam US South, killing at least 7 people
Kathy Bunch was inside the Salvation Army Service Center in Selma when tornado sirens sounded. She huddled in a back room and prayed as a loud roar passed through the brick building.
“It took the roof off. It busted the windows,” Bunch said. “And I’m just grateful to God to be alive.”
Workers in Selma used heavy machinery to scoop up splintered wooden framing and mangled siding Friday as utility poles leaned at odd angles and power lines sagged in the street.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey visited the city and pledged to ask President Joe Biden to expedite a major disaster declaration to get aid flowing. Officials said federal assistance will be critical for communities such as Selma, where nearly 30% of the city's 18,000 residents live in poverty.
Located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Montgomery, Alabama's capital, Selma was a flashpoint of the civil rights movement where state troopers viciously attacked Black people who marched non-violently for voting rights across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on March 7, 1965.
Three factors — a natural La Nina weather cycle, warming of the Gulf of Mexico likely related to climate change and a decades-long eastward shift of tornado activity — combined to make Thursday’s unusual tornado outbreak, said Victor Gensini, a meteorology professor at Northern Illinois University who studies tornado trends.
US nuclear agency falls short on scheduling, cost estimates
The U.S. agency in charge of jumpstarting the production of key components for the nation’s nuclear arsenal is falling short when it comes to having a comprehensive schedule for the multibillion-dollar project.
The Government Accountability Office said in a report released Thursday that plans by the National Nuclear Security Administration for reestablishing plutonium pit production do not follow best practices and run the risk of delays and cost overruns.
The federal government has not manufactured plutonium cores regularly in more than 30 years and faces a congressionally mandated deadline of turning out at least 80 per year by 2030.
The GAO describes the modernization effort as the agency’s largest investment in weapons production infrastructure to date, noting that plutonium is a dangerous material and making the weapon cores is difficult and time consuming.
“NNSA lacks both a comprehensive cost estimate and a schedule outlining all activities it needs to achieve this capability,” the reports states.
Read more: Japan reverts to max nuclear power to tackle energy, climate
Nuclear watchdog groups have been voicing similar concerns since the federal government first announced plans in 2018 to restart production by splitting the work between Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
At stake are billions of dollars in funding for improving infrastructure at the two locations and thousands of jobs.
Democratic members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have fought to ensure Los Alamos — a once secret city that helped develop the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project — would be among the benefactors of the lucrative mission.
Using documents prepared by the nuclear agency for justifying its fiscal year 2023 budget, the GAO identified at least $18 billion to $24 billion in potential costs to build up production capacity.
However, the GAO, other independent analysts and officials in the U.S. Defense Department all have testified in recent years that NNSA would miss the 2030 deadline, no matter how much funding was funneled toward the project.
The NNSA said in a statement Thursday that it agreed with the GAO's recommendations and that some of the work to implement best practices was underway.
“Both the lifecycle cost estimate data and (integrated master schedule) will be updated as needed to reflect the most up-to-date information as the projects and program work progress,” the agency said.
More specifically, the agency said in a letter to the GAO that it planned to complete the cost estimate for the overall project by September 2025 and that the schedule would “continue to mature over time.”
Greg Mello, director of the watchdog Los Alamos Study Group, said Thursday that not having a comprehensive schedule or cost estimate means NNSA does not know what it's doing and has little likelihood of success.
“How can NNSA produce the required number of pits on schedule or on budget, when NNSA has no schedule or budget?” he asked. “These are elementary, normal components in any program or project. After more than two decades of preparation, NNSA doesn’t have them.”
Read more: UN nuclear agency to probe Russia claim of `dirty bombs'
Jay Coghlan, executive director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, pointed to some of the price tags associated with the project having doubled over the last four years. He said production overall at the two sites could cost at least $60 billion over 30 years with radioactive waste disposal and other environmental and public health concerns adding to the bill.
Until Congress and the New Mexican delegation demand credible cost estimates and schedules, Coghlan said lawmakers “should stop rewarding the guilty with yet more money.”
"That is simple good governance that could help slow our sleepwalk into the new and unpredictable nuclear arms race,” he said.
Mello agreed, saying the mission needs to be widely debated in Congress, not just discussed behind closed doors or by those lawmakers who sit on defense committees.
In its report, the GAO outlined the process for making plutonium pits along with a history of how and where the work was done during the Cold War. The long-shuttered Rocky Flats Plant outside Denver was capable of producing more than 1,000 war reserve pits annually before work stopped in 1989 due to environmental and regulatory concerns.
With a long history of leaks, fires and other violations, Rocky Flats underwent a $7 billion cleanup that was finished in 2005.
During the Obama administration, a council made up of defense and energy officials told Congress the nation needed to produce between 50 and 80 pits per year. Congress included a legal mandate for production in a 2015 defense measure that was subsequently approved and signed by the president.
That mandate was later amended to call for the 80 pits in 2030. According to the GAO, some of the construction projects and upgrades needed for the work at Los Alamos won't be finished for several years.
US air travel returns to normal after technology breakdown
U.S. air travel returned mostly to normal Thursday, a day after a computer system that sends safety information to pilots broke down and grounded traffic from coast to coast.
By midafternoon on the East Coast, about 150 flights had been canceled and more than 3,700 delayed — much lower figures than on Wednesday, when more than 1,300 flights were scrubbed and 11,000 delayed.
Attention turned to the federal agency where the technology failure apparently started hours before it inconvenienced more than 1 million travelers.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a damaged database file appeared to have caused the outage in the safety-alert system. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg promised a thorough examination to avoid another major failure.
“Our immediate focus is technical — understanding exactly how this happened, why the redundancies and the backups that were build into the system were not able to prevent the level of disruption that we saw,” Buttigieg told reporters.
Buttigieg said there was no indication that the outage was caused by a cyberattack but that officials would not rule that out until they know more.
Read more: Flight disruptions cascade across US after computer outage
The FAA said late Thursday that a preliminary analysis showed the breakdown came after “a data file was damaged by personnel who failed to follow procedures.”
The massive disruption was the latest black eye for the agency, which has traded blame with airlines over who has inconvenienced passengers more. Critics, including airline and tourism leaders, say agency technology is underfunded.
“Investment is going to be required, no doubt,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC. “It’s going to be billions of dollars, and it’s not something that is done overnight.”
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been critical of the FAA on a variety of issues, including staffing of air traffic controllers. He says the agency makes “a heroic effort” and does well most of the time but can be overwhelmed during busy travel times.
“They need more investment for technology,” Kirby said at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event in September. “They have been saying it."
Rep. Rick Larsen of Washington state, the top Democrat on a House aviation subcommittee, said the outage shows the weakness of the FAA's technology and that the agency needs to make significant improvements.
“It's one thing to get things up and going on the old software,” Larsen said in an interview. “It's another thing to invest in the new software platforms that are necessary to ensure this doesn't happen again.”
Mike McCormick, a former FAA manager of airspace security who retired in 2017 after about 35 years at the agency, was more confident in FAA technology. He said the agency modernized computer systems over the past 15 years and is 95% up to date, having upgraded to next-generation satellite-based systems for navigation, flight tracking and communication.
“Software, hardware, the final upgrades, were completed in the last three years, so now they’re actually working on the next generation beyond that and the enhancements to the systems,” said McCormick, who now teaches air-traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The system that generates NOTAMs — or Notice to Air Missions — also was upgraded, but the outage happened as an engineer was working on the main system and the database somehow became corrupted, McCormick said, citing conversations with people at the FAA.
When they switched to the backup system, its database also was corrupted, McCormick said. The system then had to be rebooted.
Read more: Number of flights canceled by Southwest Airlines is growing
“Things can still go wrong,” McCormick said. “You can still have human error, you can still have procedural errors, you can still have technological errors.”
Michael Huerta, FAA administrator from 2013 to 2018, said the systems need to be updated constantly to keep up with technology. Nothing in the FAA system is so old that it's in danger of failing, he said, especially the system that tracks and communicates with planes.
“The public should definitely be confident that the air traffic control system is safe,” he said.
But the NOTAM system is about a decade old when systems reach the point where vendors don't support it or the platform that it runs on has been upgraded.
“It's not a one-and-done type of event,” he said. “It's not very many years that go by before you have to upgrade it.”
The outage came at a bad time for both the FAA and Buttigieg.
The FAA is trying to repair its reputation after being widely criticized for the way it approved the Boeing 737 Max without fully understanding a flight-control system that malfunctioned and played a key role in two crashes that killed 346 people. The agency took a more hands-on approach when considering — and eventually improving — changes that Boeing made to get the plane back in the air.
The meltdown at an agency overseen by the Transportation Department could also undercut Buttigieg’s moral authority to chastise airlines when they cancel or delay flights. He has gone after the airlines since last summer, most recently over disruptions at Southwest Airlines.
Wednesday's breakdown showed how much American air travel depends on the computer system that generates NOTAMs.
Before a plane takes off, pilots and airline dispatchers must review the notices, which include details about weather, runway closures or other temporary factors that could affect the flight. The system was once telephone-based but moved online years ago.
Buttigieg said when the system broke down Tuesday night, a backup system went into effect. The FAA tried a complete reboot of the main system Wednesday morning, but that failed, leading the FAA to take the rare step of preventing planes from taking off.
US envoy Haas praises Bangladesh’s development, eyes stronger future partnership
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Thursday said Bangladesh’s economic development over the last fifty years has been remarkable, and the United States has been a proud partner in that transformation.
"We look forward to working with Bangladesh over the next fifty years and beyond," he said.
The US Ambassador was delivering opening remarks at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum Infrastructure Panel titled “Mobilising Infrastructure Investment in Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific.”
For the past fifty years, Haas said, the United States has partnered with the governments and the people of Bangladesh by providing over $8 billion to tackle issues like public health, education, energy, environment, food security, natural disasters, and more.
"We’re also working with the government through technical assistance programs to create more efficient logistics systems and unleash private investment in areas like clean energy, ports, and railways," said the US Ambassador.
In Bangladesh, as in other low and middle-income countries across the region, infrastructure is critical to driving inclusive and sustainable development.
Infrastructure connects workers to good jobs; allows businesses to grow and thrive, and creates opportunities for all segments of the society, including underserved communities.
"But delivering high-quality infrastructure takes more than just financial investment. It also requires working to support the necessary institutional and policy frameworks, regulatory environment, and human capacity to structure projects to attract private investment," said the Ambassador.
Read more: US envoy meets Momen, shares displeasure over embarrassment
It requires strong engineering, environmental, social, governance, and labor standards to ensure positive impact, he said.
Infrastructure comes in many forms and sizes, from the large-scale energy systems that power inclusive economies, to the local healthcare networks that contribute to global health security, to the cellular towers and undersea cables that move our data and enable a seamless, open worldwide exchange of information.
Meeting infrastructure needs across the Indo-Pacific requires a wide range of public and private financing options.
"No one country can go it alone. That’s why in June 2022, President Biden announced the United States aims to mobilise an additional $200 billion in investment as part of the Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment," said the US envoy.
The United States has always been a strong supporter of development finance through the multilateral system, Haas said.
Investments from companies like Chevron, GE, and Excelerate create good jobs for Bangladeshi communities and help provide reliable power supply to the Bangladeshi people, he said.
U.S. companies are also working to expand high-speed internet access to communities across Bangladesh, said the US envoy.
For instance, U.S. company SubCom will build the next undersea communications cable from the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company, he said.
Read more: US Ambassador visits residence of the coordinator of ‘Mayer Dak’ in city
"Innovative products like SpaceX’s Starlink could also help provide reliable high-speed satellite internet access to the most remote areas in Bangladesh and across the Indo-Pacific, he said.
These technologies can help support Bangladesh’s vast digital user base and expand Bangladesh’s digital economy, said the US envoy.
The United States and Japan are committed to working together to foster sustainable and inclusive growth in Bangladesh and across the Indo-Pacific.
The US Embassy co-hosted two panels for this year’s Indo-Pacific Business Forum with the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh featuring Ambassador Haas, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori, Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Sharifa Khan.
Panelists discussed how to ensure infrastructure investment benefits bring positive impact across society, and how connecting major corporations with women-owned businesses can foster women’s economic empowerment.
CES 2023 draws to close
World's largest and most influential tech event Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023 in the US drew to a close recently.
The four-day exhibition took place from January 5 to 8 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
CES is a global platform where the tech giants exhibit the latest innovation in consumer technology, the automotive industry and digital healthcare.
AI, smart health, driverless cars, smart homes and the metaverse had been the centre of attractions for visitors, entrepreneurs and suppliers of technology products at this year's CES.
The metaverse was a big theme at CES 2023. Many companies had unveiled their latest offerings in virtual reality and augmented reality. There were many unusual inventions on display, from a speech privacy mask to smart golfing tools, a smart punching bag cover and even electric inline skates.
One start-up, OVR Technology, presented a headset that allows users to smell in the metaverse. The device could have applications beyond gaming, for example in health and wellness.
A part of the show floor had been dedicated to Web3 technology.
Also, Microsoft and the carmaker Stellantis teamed up to create a showroom in the metaverse.
At this year's CES, Sony exhibited a prototype of a new electric car built with Honda. The vehicle, Afeela, has self-driving capabilities and a LED screen on the front of the bonnet.
In addition, South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai's stall had seen a large crowd of visitors for its driverless car.
This year Walton became the first Bangladeshi company to join the world's mega tech event.
Focusing on people's smart living, food and health safety, and environmental protection, the company showcased a wide range of green and sustainable smart home and tech products with AI technologies at the CES. The products include a smart fridge, TV and educational display, air conditioner; washing machine, table, and LED light.
At the CES, Walton finalised negotiations with many business houses of the US, Canada, Mexico, France, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Liberia, Oman, Jordan, and Senegal, according to a media statement.
Also, it finalised a deal with a distributor in Canada's Ontario to supply hotel mode solutions.
Read more: CES 2023: Walton's smart AI products get huge response
Flight disruptions cascade across US after computer outage
Thousands of flight delays and cancellations rippled across the U.S. early Wednesday after computer outage led to a grounding order for all departing aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA is working to restore what is known as the Notice to Air Missions System.
Before commencing a flight, pilots are required to consult NOTAMs, or Notices to Air Missions, which list potential adverse impacts on flights, from runway construction to the potential for icing. The system used to be telephone-based, with pilots calling dedicated flight service stations for the information, but has now moved online.
While the White House initially said that there is no evidence of a cyberattack, President Joe Biden said “we don’t know” and told reporters that he’s directed the Department of Transportation to investigate the cause of the disruption.
The FBI did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
The stop order was lifted just before 9 a.m., but delays and cancellations are expected to snowball. Departure gates at major airports are filled with aircraft that had been ordered grounded for hours. More than 21,000 flights were scheduled to take off in the U.S. today, mostly domestic trips, and about 1,840 international flights expected to fly to the U.S., according to aviation data firm Cirium.
Read more: Number of flights canceled by Southwest Airlines is growing
More than 4,300 flights were delayed and more than 800 were cancelled by around 9:30 a.m.
The stop order by the FAA impacted almost all flights of shippers and passenger airlines.
Some medical flights could get clearance and the outage did not impact any military operations or the mobility of U.S. defense forces.
Biden addressed the FAA issue Wednesday before leaving the White House to accompany his wife to a medical procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside of Washington. He said he had just been briefed by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who told him they still had not identified what went wrong.
“I just spoke to Buttigieg. They don’t know what the cause is. But I was on the phone with him about 10 minutes," Biden said. "I told him to report directly to me when they find out. Air traffic can still land safely, just not take off right now. We don’t know what the cause of it is.”
Buttigieg said in a tweet that he is in touch with the FAA and monitoring the situation.
Delays and cancellations that began on East Coast quickly spread west, with disruptions at almost all major U.S. airports.
The FAA said it was working on restoring its Notice to Air Missions System.
“We are performing final validation checks and reloading the system now,” the FAA said. “Operations across the National Airspace System are affected.”
Julia Macpherson was on a United Airlines flight from Sydney to Los Angeles on Wednesday when she learned of possible delays.
“As I was up in the air I got news from my friend who was also traveling overseas that there was a power outage,” said Macpherson, who was returning to Florida from Hobart, Tasmania. Once she lands in Los Angeles, she still has a connection in Denver on her flight to Jacksonville, Florida.
She said there have been no announcements on the flight about the FAA issue.
Macpherson said she had already experienced a delay in her travels because her original flight from Melbourne to San Francisco was canceled and she rebooked a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles.
Breakdowns in the NOTAM system appear to be rare.
John Cox, a former airline pilot and aviation safety expert, said there has been talk in the aviation industry for years about trying to modernize the NOTAM system, but he did not know the age of the servers that the FAA uses.
He couldn’t say whether a cyberattack was possible.
“I’ve been flying 53 years. I’ve never heard the system go down like this," Cox said. "So something unusual happened.”
Read more: Taiwan cancels flights as China holds military drills
According FAA advisories, the NOTAM system failed at 8:28 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday preventing new or amended notices from being distributed to pilots. The FAA resorted to a telephone hotline in an effort to keep departures flying overnight, but as daytime traffic picked up it overwhelmed the telephone backup system.
Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the U.S. military flights were not impacted because the military has its own NOTAMS system separate from the FAA system and the military’s system was not affected by the outage.
European flights into the U.S. appeared to be largely unaffected.
Irish carrier Aer Lingus said services to the U.S. continue, and Dublin Airport’s website showed that its flights to Newark, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles were running on schedule.
“Aer Lingus plan to operate all transatlantic flights as scheduled today,” the carrier said in a prepared statement. “We will continue to monitor but we do not anticipate any disruption to our services arising from the technical issue in the United States.”
This is just the latest headache for travelers in the U.S. who faced flight cancellations over the holidays amid winter storms and a breakdown with staffing technology at Southwest Airlines. They also ran into long lines, lost baggage, and cancellations and delays over the summer as travel demand roared back from the COVID-19 pandemic and ran into staffing cutbacks at airports and airlines in the U.S. and Europe.
The FAA said that it would provide frequent updates as it made progress.