US-bound flights from Australia grounded as telecommunications outage affects American travel
US flight pause disrupts departures
Some flights bound for the United States from Sydney Airport were grounded after US authorities stopped departures and delayed landings at airports nationwide. The Federal Aviation Administration said the action followed a temporary telecommunications outage.
The FAA later lifted the grounding order, while continuing to investigate what caused the outage. The pause led to delays for some flights departing Australia.
Sydney and Melbourne affected
Sydney Airport said some US-bound flights scheduled to depart had been grounded. A spokesperson said the airport was monitoring the nationwide stop and urged passengers travelling to or through the United States to contact their airlines for the latest flight information.
Flights from Melbourne were also affected. Passengers due to leave for Los Angeles shortly after 10am had been delayed by more than two hours, while two other US-bound services were expected to face delays.
Melbourne routes face delays
The two Melbourne flights were scheduled to depart at 12.00pm and 12.45pm. They included a Qantas service to Dallas and a United Airlines flight to San Francisco. Passengers on both services were told to expect delays because of the disruption in the United States.
Key points
- The FAA paused departures and delayed arrivals at US airports after a temporary telecommunications outage.
- The FAA lifted the nationwide grounding order but continued investigating the outage.
- Some flights from Sydney and Melbourne were grounded or delayed.
- Affected Melbourne services included flights to Dallas and San Francisco.