Bulgarians flying to, from or through the US should check their flights. A major technical failure in the communications system of the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is disrupting air travel across the country, the Situation Centre of Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry said.
The fault hit the radio and data links used by air traffic control. As a result, the FAA yesterday halted all takeoffs in the US for 4 hours. Thousands of flights were cancelled, and tens of thousands of people were stranded at airports.
The ban has now been lifted, but the Foreign Ministry warns that traffic will return to normal only gradually. Delays, cancellations and schedule changes are expected over the next few days on domestic and international routes, including transatlantic ones.
The ministry advises passengers to check their flight status just before they leave and to follow their airline's instructions. Bulgarians who travel or live abroad, for a short time or permanently, can register in the "I'm Travelling to…" section or in the "Travel Informed" mobile app. The ministry says this helps consuls act faster in an emergency.
The Bulgarian embassy in the US can be reached on +1 202 387 0174, +1 202 299 0273 and +1 202 483 1386. Outside working hours, the duty numbers are +1 202 387 0174 and +1 202 299 0273. Emails go to embassy.washington@mfa.bg and office@bulgaria-embassy.org.
The consulate general in New York can be reached on +1 212 935 4646 and at Consulate.NewYork@mfa.bg. In an emergency outside working hours, call +1 (202) 387 0174.
In Chicago, the consulate general answers on +1 312 867 1904 and +1 312 867 1905, and outside working hours on +1 312 515 8774. Its email is Consulate.Chicago@mfa.bg.
The consulate general in Los Angeles has the phone number +1 310 478 6700, a duty number for out-of-hours calls, +1 310 437 3606, and the email consulate.losangeles@mfa.bg.
The Foreign Ministry's Situation Centre directorate takes emergency calls around the clock on +359 2 948 24 04, +359 2 971 38 56 and +359 893 339 616, and at Crisis@mfa.bg.