A nationwide ground stop in the United States has left large numbers of passengers stranded at airports across the country since Friday, with the disruption felt acutely at Chicago's O'Hare International, one of the world's busiest.
Some passengers at O'Hare said they were stuck on the tarmac for hours, describing confusing scenes at the airport as they scrambled to rebook flights.
"When we landed, we were informed that there were issues here at the airport, and we stayed on the tarmac for almost three hours. And then we went over to the cargo airport, and there was a lot of confusion. I've traveled enough and I said, 'Alright, Ed, go find a nice hotel. Relax and come back in the morning,'" Edward Danek, a passenger, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Saturday.
Sudeep Sen, an Indian author, said he missed his book launch in New York, originally scheduled for Saturday, because of the flight delays.
"The launch is today, and I am supposed to get to New York for the evening event, and I can't. Yesterday, I was at Chicago all day. I had a flight at six in the morning. And it constantly got delayed and then the whole day got wasted. And then this morning, I found another flight. But now I have to go through Columbus, Ohio, go to New York, and I'm told the second leg has also been delayed," he said.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the nationwide ground stop -- which officials blamed on a "communication issue" -- on Friday evening, after hours of disruption affected thousands of flights across the country. Flight cancellations and delays, however, are expected to continue through the weekend.
It was the first nationwide ground stop in the U.S. since January 2023, when a key FAA computer system malfunctioned.
US flight disruptions leave passengers stranded at Chicago airport
A deepening fuel crisis is paralyzing daily life across Sudan, where long lines of vehicles at the few operating stations have become a daily routine.
With domestic refining crippled and import prices rising, the country is under mounting pressure over its energy supply. The lingering and spreading crisis has also driven local prices sharply higher.
"I started queuing for gas at 7 this morning, and I've been waiting for over two hours now. I don't know how much longer I'll have to wait. I haven't been able to fill up for a week. And the price of gasoline has further gone up recently. Now it costs 35,000 Sudanese pounds (about 58.19 U.S. dollars) per gallon. It has increased by 5,000 Sudanese pounds in just several days," said Osman Faisal, a resident.
The crisis stems from war damage to Sudan's oil infrastructure. Relentless clashes since fighting erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have forced major oil fields to shut down. The Khartoum refinery, which once met about 70 percent of national fuel needs, has shut down. Several oil fields are also offline, forcing Sudan to rely almost entirely on imports.
The escalation in the Middle East since late February has led to significant fluctuations in international energy market prices, and Sudan's domestic supply is directly exposed to that backdrop.
This external shock has been coupled with the depreciation of the Sudanese pound against the U.S. dollar, making every imported shipment more expensive. Caught between rising global prices and a plummeting local currency, gas station operators are forced to constantly recalculate their rates and frequently shut down pumps.
The unpredictability forced workers into an impossible daily trade-off between earning a living and waiting in line.
"The Sudanese pound continues to depreciate against the U.S. dollar, exacerbating the fuel crisis. Hopefully, the exchange rate will stabilize as soon as possible. Every morning when we wake up, we are forced to make a choice -- go to work or queue for gas?" said Adnan Osman, another resident.
In addition to disrupting people's travel, the fuel shortage has driven up transportation and delivery costs, pushing the prices of food and daily necessities higher.
"The prices of food, including vegetables and bread, are also on the rise. The life of everyone in this country is being severely affected," said Alrazy Mohamed, a resident.
Sudan paralyzed by fuel crisis as war, currency collapse choke supply
