FAA lifts nationwide ground stop after telecom outage halts US flights for over four hours
The Federal Aviation Administration imposed a nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon after communication, radio and radar problems affected all air traffic control centers, halting departures for more than four hours before flights were cleared to resume around 8:15 p.m. Eastern. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed an overloaded legacy analogue communications system and estimated a multibillion-dollar overhaul is needed, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was "zero evidence" of a cyber-attack. FlightAware counted thousands of delayed and cancelled flights, tens of thousands of passengers were stranded, and Eurocontrol, Sydney and Air Canada suspended US-bound traffic.
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US flights resume after nationwide ground stop but delays persist
The US Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday evening after an outage halted all flights, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that travel chaos will take days to unwind. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the cause was a telecommunications outage with no evidence of a cyber-attack, and officials blamed aging air traffic control systems that lack congressional funding for modernization. The incident was the largest ground stop since September 11, 2001, and caused widespread delays and cancellations, stranding passengers at major airports. Airlines including Delta, United, American, and JetBlue are resuming flights gradually. Lawmakers from both parties called for investigations and infrastructure upgrades, while former TSA Administrator John Pistole expressed concern about the system's vulnerability ahead of Thanksgiving travel.
Read sourceUS FAA Lifts Longest Nationwide Flight Ground Stop Since 9/11
The US Federal Aviation Administration lifted the longest nationwide ground stop of flights since the 11 September 2001 attacks, lasting more than four hours on Friday. The FAA attributed the stoppage to 'extraordinary circumstances' from a communication issue affecting all air traffic control centres. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a legacy analogue air traffic control communications system became overloaded with data, affecting communications and radar, and estimated a $50 billion overhaul is needed, warning 'it's going to continue to fail.' Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was 'zero evidence' of a cyber-attack and ruled out any link to the global Microsoft outage that began Thursday. More than 8,500 flights were delayed and nearly 8,000 cancelled, according to FlightAware, with tens of thousands stranded. Eurocontrol suspended US-bound traffic on FAA request, and Sydney and Air Canada also grounded US-bound flights. Duffy said the outage would cause a ripple effect for a few days.
Read sourceFAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Telecom Outage Causes US Airport Chaos
The Federal Aviation Administration lifted a nationwide ground stop on Friday evening after a telecommunications outage grounded all US departures for more than four hours, causing widespread travel chaos. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged a tech failure led to the shutdown, though details remain scarce. Outages in communication, radio frequencies, and radar reportedly began in Chicago. According to FlightAware, 8,553 flights were delayed and 6,816 cancelled on Friday. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said there was "zero evidence" of a cyber-attack, suggesting older technology became overwhelmed after new technology was introduced. This was only the second nationwide ground stop since 9/11. Airlines are resuming flights but delays and cancellations are expected to continue as planes and crews are out of position.
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FAA Lifts Nationwide Ground Stop After Air Traffic Control Outage
The Federal Aviation Administration declared a rare nationwide ground stop on Friday afternoon, halting nearly all departures and stranding thousands of passengers after what appeared to be a major outage affecting its air traffic control system. The ground stop was lifted around 8:15 p.m. Eastern, though officials warned departures would resume slowly. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the public was never in danger and that there were no signs of a cyberattack, though he said investigators were not ruling it out. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed an antiquated air traffic control system, saying new technology upgrades overloaded legacy equipment, and called on Congress for at least $30 billion in emergency funding for infrastructure upgrades. The disruption occurred about two weeks before Thanksgiving, one of the busiest travel periods of the year. It was only the third nationwide ground stop in recent history, following those on Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 11, 2023.
Read sourceFAA lifts nationwide ground stop after air traffic control communication failure
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide ground stop at airports after roughly four hours, following communication problems in the air traffic control system that caused thousands of flight cancellations and long queues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said instability hit the radio and radar system in the afternoon US time, with routers overwhelmed by data and shut down; he described it as old technology failing, not the new equipment installed during his tenure. Duffy said how quickly flights resume depends partly on crew availability and that it will take time to restore flight movements, with more flights hoped for by Saturday. Aircraft already airborne were allowed to land gradually. It was only the second nationwide US air traffic stoppage since the September 11, 2001 attacks, after a January 2023 outage of the system transmitting messages to pilots. The exact cause of the current problems remained initially unclear, and significant knock-on effects are expected as aircraft are out of position.
Read sourceFAA Orders Nationwide Flight Grounding Over Severe Communication Problems
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a nationwide flight stop on Friday, grounding all departures and reviewing incoming international flights on a case-by-case basis due to severe communication problems affecting all air traffic control centers. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the issues were serious and that FAA technicians were investigating, though the exact cause remained unclear and no duration was given. Multiple flight control centers had reported communication problems, according to media reports. This is only the second nationwide flight stop since the September 11, 2001 attacks; the first occurred in January 2023 when the FAA halted all domestic flights for less than two hours. Congress approved $12.5 billion last year to modernize the FAA's outdated communication system, and on Friday the FAA and White House requested an additional $30.1 billion to address other problems.
Read sourceFAA lifts nationwide flight stoppage after communication system failure
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted a nationwide flight stoppage at airports after roughly four hours, following communication problems in the air traffic control system that caused thousands of flight cancellations and long queues. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said instability in the radio and radar system occurred in the afternoon (US time), with routers overwhelmed by data and shut down. He described the failure as old technology, not the new systems installed during his tenure. The government of Republican President Donald Trump often blames US aviation problems on inaction by the cabinet of his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden. It was only the second nationwide air traffic stoppage since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; the last was in January 2023 due to a system outage for pilot messages. The concrete cause of the current problems remained unclear. Aircraft in the air at the time of the stoppage were able to land gradually. Significant effects are likely to continue even after the problems are overcome, as many aircraft are now missing where they were scheduled for further flights. Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded at airports without clarity on how soon flights would resume. American Airlines said shortly after the stoppage was announced on Friday that connections through the end of the day would definitely be affected.
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