The U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, indicated this Saturday that air activity in the country is gradually resuming its normal operations and stressed that "it is safe to fly," although he warned that incidents will continue to occur in the form of delays and cancellations.
"Operations are returning little by little to normal this morning. The planes are leaving the boarding gates, taxiing, and taking off, and it is safe to fly," he explained in a brief statement released through social media, where he also emphasized that the U.S. Government remains "in close coordination with the airlines to support the recovery" of their operations.
Duffy clarified, however, that airlines will continue to face adjustments while they reschedule their routes and reposition aircraft and crews according to the system’s needs, which will continue to result in delays and canceled flights.
"Our top priority right now is to ensure that travelers return home safe and sound, along with their families, as soon as possible," the secretary said, who wanted to recognize the work of professionals in the sector, thanking air traffic controllers, pilots, and other flight personnel for their "professionalism and dedication to serving passengers."
The head of Transportation also advanced the holding of a media appearance at 10:30 a.m. (local time), in which he will provide updated information on the evolution of the situation. Until then, he urged users to check directly with their companies the status of their tickets and to follow in real time airport operations.
Duffy’s statements come after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted this Saturday the order that kept all flights on the ground in the United States, following about four hours of disruption that led to thousands of delays and cancellations, attributed to "telecommunications problems."