Cancun, Q.R. — A radar system failure in Central America Friday affected hundreds of flights in Mexico. The Friday morning radar failure affected aircraft flying above 20,000 feet. At least 17 flights in and out of Cancun International were part of those affected.
A failure in the surveillance radar of the Central American Air Traffic Control Center (Cenamer) affected the Friday flights.
The National Union of Air Traffic Controllers (Sinacta) confirmed the widespread failure of the radar system based in Honduras. According to Sinacta, that radar monitors air traffic control of aircraft flying through Central American countries and is also coordinated with the Merida control center, which groups together air traffic control in southern Mexico.
According to a brief post by Sinacta, limited personnel due to budget issues was the cause behind the Friday failure.
“This has a serious impact on the Merida control center and the Cancun terminal area due to airspace congestion. A center with limited personnel must address the technical failures of the adjacent control centers. Therefore, urgent investment in air traffic control technology and personnel is essential.
We call on the authorities to resolve the budgetary issues,” Sindicato Nacional de Controladores de Tránsito Aéreo (SINACTA) reported Friday.
“Aircraft heading to this area must maintain control with the control center in Merida and the Cancun terminal and ask the pilots if they are returning to their airport of origin or landing at an airport in the southeast,” explained José Covarrubias, the Secretary General of Sinacta.
Air space was down around 2:26 p.m. Central Mexico time. ASUR (Aeropuertos del Sureste), the company that manages the Cancun Airport, confirmed the downtime Friday.
According to ASUR, nine flights were diverted, one returned and seven grounded due to the downed radar system. Flights to and from Central American countries such as Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua were affected for several hours.
It also affected several international flights connecting South America with the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as routes between Central American countries. This airspace was completely closed for an hour, international aviation authorities confirmed.
The situation also caused a massive air jam leaving Central American air space saturated.
The situation forced the activation of the “ATC ZERO” contingency protocol, which entailed the total suspension of air traffic until safety conditions were reestablished by the specialized aeronautical authorities.
This confirmed the temporary suspension of international departures at the region’s airports until the system was fully operational. Flights already in progress were forced to descend to a safe altitude where they could be monitored by another radar model.
