Latest news with #FAA
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Extensive delays at major tri-state airports due to weather
NEW YORK (PIX11) — Travelers heading to major tri-state area airports may experience delays of up to two hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday. As of 5:30 p.m. on Friday, delays were a little over two hours at LaGuardia Airport, nearly three hours at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and up to three and a half hours at Newark Liberty International Airport. More Local News The delays come as a result of wind and thunderstorms moving into the area, the FAA's website said. There's a 40% chance of rain for the evening according to forecasters from the National Weather Service. Showers are expected over the area between 11 p.m. into 2 a.m. Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mexico Threatens SpaceX Lawsuit After Texas Explosion
Mexico's president is threatening a lawsuit against American innovation — again. This time, it's Elon Musk's SpaceX that's in the crosshairs, after a recent rocket explosion at the company's Starbase launch site near Boca Chica, Texas. The site, located just miles from the southern border shared with Mexico, has become a symbol of both cutting-edge space technology and international friction. During a press conference on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that her administration is reviewing alleged 'contamination' from debris that crossed into Mexico during a test failure last week, per The Guardian. The explosion, which occurred during a routine ground test of the Starship system — as previously covered by The Dallas Express — sent a fireball into the sky, a spectacle that has become a fairly routine part of developing powerful next-generation rockets. 'Just a scratch,' Musk posted to X after the explosion. Sheinbaum claims that the fallout violates international law and says her government is preparing 'the necessary lawsuits' to hold SpaceX accountable. However, U.S. officials, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — have already reviewed environmental concerns surrounding the program. As recently as May, the FAA approved an increase in annual launches from five to 25, saying that the launch activity would not pose significant environmental threats, including to wildlife along the Gulf Coast. The rhetoric from Mexico's president appears to be following a familiar pattern. In May, Sheinbaum's government said it was suing Google over labeling in its Maps application, after the tech company allegedly renamed the 'Gulf of Mexico' the 'Gulf of America' for some users. SpaceX, which employs thousands in South Texas and draws global attention to the Lone Star State's emerging role in space exploration, has not commented publicly on the potential lawsuit as of time of publication. Still, Texans watching this latest dispute may see it as yet another example of foreign leaders targeting American companies for political leverage. For now, SpaceX continues to push forward with development — even if the 'path to Mars' Musk dreams of seems to draw critics from outsiders, or legal heat from Mexico's leaders. As previously reported by DX, earlier this week a multinational team of four private astronauts successfully reached the International Space Station, completing a landmark mission by Houston-based Axiom Space in collaboration with SpaceX. Launched Wednesday aboard SpaceX's new Dragon capsule nicknamed 'Grace' from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the crew docked with the ISS after a 28-hour journey. SpaceX confirmed the docking in a video post, celebrating the mission's smooth arrival.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mirror
Horror moment plane 'explodes' into flame shortly after takeoff
The flight, carrying 165 passengers, was mid-air when a loud boom erupted from one of its engines - before flames and thick smoke began pouring from the left side of the aircraft A dramatic mid-air explosion forced a passenger jet to turn back just minutes after take-off, in the latest in a troubling wave of aviation incidents gripping the skies. The American Airlines flight, bound for North Carolina, was mid-air at 8:20am local time on Wednesday when a loud boom erupted from one of its engines. Flames and thick smoke were seen pouring from the left side of the aircraft, captured in alarming footage posted online. There were 165 passengers onboard, but airport spokesperson Luke Nimmo later confirmed the plane returned safely to Harry Reid International Airport and that no injuries were reported. 'The aircraft taxied to the gate under its own power,' Nimmo added, noting that fire crews had inspected the engines after landing. The Federal Aviation Administration has since launched an investigation into what went wrong. It comes amid a spate of air travel disasters across the US and beyond. Just weeks ago, a small plane crashed in a remote mining area west of Tucson, Arizona, killing two people. The wreckage was found near Green Valley, with Pima County Sheriff's officials describing it as a 'very difficult scene that may last into Friday.' The aircraft, privately owned, had departed earlier that day from Ryan Airfield. The FAA later confirmed it 'crashed under unknown circumstances,' with the National Transportation Safety Board still investigating the circumstances leading to the collision. In January, tragedy struck Washington DC when 67 people were killed in a catastrophic collision between a passenger jet and a US Army helicopter. The disaster prompted the Trump administration to sack around 400 FAA staff, including key radar and navigation maintenance workers. Investigations revealed a single air traffic controller had been tasked with managing both commercial and military aircraft at the airport at the time of the crash. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association have warned that staffing shortages are now among the worst in three decades, with exhausted personnel working six-day weeks and ten-hour shifts. On Tuesday, fresh concerns were raised when the National Transportation Safety Board blamed 'multiple system failures' for a terrifying incident involving an Alaska Airlines jet. In January 2024, a section of the aircraft's fuselage was torn off mid-flight over Oregon, forcing a dramatic emergency landing. Miraculously, all 171 passengers and six crew members survived. More recently in India, only one person survived a devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad. Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 carrying over 240 people to London, erupted in flames moments after takeoff. Some pilots have suggested extreme heat may have played a role, warning that hot air can make landing and takeoff more dangerous, while other experts have theorised that an extremely rare double engine failure could have caused the aircraft to go down.
Fox News
a day ago
- Business
- Fox News
Former air traffic controller: Our air traffic system is being held together with eBay parts
Every day, more than 45,000 commercial flights operate in U.S. airspace. It's one of the largest, busiest and most complex aviation systems in the world, and we are increasing demands and adding pressure to it every single day. Yet, our airspace is running on antiquated technology and outdated equipment in facilities that are decades-old and deteriorating. Add to all of that, the system needs some 3,000 more certified controllers just to meet today's demand. Unless Congress acts with urgency, the National Airspace System (NAS) is going to fall further behind at a time when we are experiencing increased air travel demand and an increased reliance on air cargo shipments. The Senate has a pivotal opportunity to be part of the solution and act on provisions included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." The House has already taken an important step by passing the bill, which included $12.5 billion for the FAA. That funding is critical. But from the standpoint of day-to-day operations, and from the perspective of the people who actually keep this system running, it's still not enough. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has called that funding a good "down payment." Last week, at a press conference in San Diego, he said, "We are going to need a lot more money, but this is the one vehicle we have to start the build right now. Frankly, I hope the Congress finds more money. … They have the ability to find extra resources and to put it into this mission." Earlier in June, he said that he would like lawmakers to allocate $20 billion as an initial step. Much of the FAA's infrastructure hasn't been updated in decades. Some facilities are still running on analog radar, copper wiring, mechanical switches, floppy discs and paper strips that track flights in some air traffic control facilities. It's not uncommon for essential components to be patched together or sourced from eBay. This isn't sustainable. The system is under strain, but it is being held together by the dedication of its workforce. Yet 41% of certified controllers are working six 10-hour days per week due to shortages. Sites such as the New York TRACON, which currently handles the airspace around JFK and LaGuardia airports, have been operating at barely half their authorized staffing levels since 2023. By raising pay for trainees and streamlining the hiring pipeline, the Department of Transportation has already helped refer more than 8,000 candidates to the FAA aptitude exam. The Senate has a pivotal opportunity to be part of the solution and act on provisions included in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." The House has already taken an important step by passing the bill, which included $12.5 billion for the FAA. That is far more than previous cycles, which retained less than 10% of applicants and trainees. Duffy's team has also taken serious steps to modernize facilities and digitize key systems, replacing World War II-era radar and outdated paper-strip technology with digital alternatives. But none of these reforms can move forward without the U.S. Senate. At his confirmation hearing, FAA nominee Bryan Bedford backed Duffy's assessment that the $12.5 billion included in the House bill falls well short of what is needed to stabilize the system. The Modern Skies coalition, comprised of more than 50 aviation organizations, estimates it will take at least $31 billion to execute Duffy's plan. Without that funding, Bedford warned equipment upgrades will drag on for years, and system breakdowns will grow more frequent. We have an opportunity to change course. If the Senate increases the House's funding commitment — or even closes the gap with a supplemental package — we can begin to build a system capable of meeting modern demand. Our controllers are trained professionals. They're ready. But no one can do this job without the right tools and support. The $12.5 billion in the House bill is a good first step. As Duffy said, "This is the most important infrastructure project we've done in decades, and it needs to be fully funded." The Senate needs to finish the job — not just for the system's integrity, but for the people who make that system safe every day.
Daily Maverick
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Maverick
SpaceX says debris recovery attempts hindered after Starship explosion
A massive Starship spacecraft by SpaceX exploded into a dramatic fireball during testing in Texas last week, which Elon Musk's space firm attributed to a 'major anomaly.' The Starship rocket appeared to have experienced at least two explosions in rapid succession, lighting up the night sky and sending debris flying, according to video capturing the moment it exploded. 'Despite SpaceX's attempts to recover the anomaly related debris, which is and remains the tangible property of SpaceX, these attempts have been hindered by unauthorized parties trespassing on private property,' the company said in a post on social media platform X. 'We have requested local and federal assistance from the government of Mexico in the recovery,' it said, adding that it also has offered resources and assistance in the clean-up. President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that her administration is investigating the security and environmental impact of the launch of rockets, particularly for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. A general review is being conducted to determine what international laws are being violated. 'From there, we'll start a process, because there is indeed contamination,' Sheinbaum had said during a morning press conference. A Starship spacecraft exploded in space minutes after lifting off from Texas in March, prompting the FAA to halt air traffic in parts of Florida, in a setback for Musk's Mars rocket program. In January, a Starship rocket broke up in space minutes after launching from Texas, raining debris over Caribbean islands and causing minor damage to a car in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
