Daijiworld Media Network – Washington
Washington, Nov 14: The United States lifted a nationwide flight ground stop on Friday after a communications failure in the air traffic control (ATC) system disrupted operations, affecting more than 11,000 flights and causing widespread travel disruptions.
The incident marked the first nationwide flight ground stop since January 2023, when a malfunction in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) computer system disrupted air travel. It was also the longest such disruption since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The FAA had ordered a nationwide suspension of departing flights on Friday afternoon, citing "extraordinary circumstances" caused by communication problems at regional air traffic control centres. The disruption resulted in hundreds of flights being diverted.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the outage was caused by an overload in an ageing analogue system used by the country's air traffic control network. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin called for additional funding to modernise the system and strengthen aviation infrastructure.
Around 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers were scheduled to depart from US airports after 4 pm Eastern Standard Time, raising concerns over further delays, cancellations and diversions.
The FAA's initial advisory was issued at 3.54 pm Eastern Time, with the ground stop taking effect at 3.53 pm. A subsequent advisory identified a communications failure as the reason for the disruption.
The partial restoration of services followed the afternoon suspension of departing flights across the country. The incident also highlighted concerns over the vulnerability of the US aviation infrastructure, as officials initially could not provide a timeline for the resumption of normal operations.
US President Donald Trump was briefed on the situation, Mullin confirmed.