Grounding planes and increasing demand for taxis at American airports.
Photos released from North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Friday, Nov. 22, show passengers waiting in the airport's exterior area and where to board Internet taxi cabs.
These photos were recorded following one of the most widespread disruptions in American aviation in recent years, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), following a disruption in the communication systems of air traffic control centers, ordered the termination of departing flights at the country's airports.
Charlotte Douglas Airport was also affected by this situation. According to the local WBTV channel, 545 flight delays were recorded at this airport on Friday, and the average delay of departing flights reached 1 hour and 59 minutes around 19:00 local time. At the same time, long lines formed in the passenger boarding area and in front of the car rental offices.
This disruption also put pressure on ground transportation. In Manhattan, New York, a number of taxi drivers spoke to the Farsi Independent about receiving several messages from the center during a two-hour period in which additional drivers were needed to transport passengers to John F. Kennedy (JFK).
More than 4,700 flights in the United States were canceled on Friday, and about 10,000 more flights were delayed, according to statistics published by flight tracking company FlightRadar24 and the Reuters news agency. Also, until Saturday morning, about 700 more flights were canceled for that day.
American officials stated that the cause of this disruption was a defect in the communication infrastructure of the air traffic control system.