US Grounds Flights Nationwide for More Than Four Hours Due to Air Traffic Control System Failure

Air traffic across the United States was severely disrupted after a technical failure in the air traffic control communication system forced authorities to temporarily suspend all aircraft departures nationwide for more than four hours.

The disruption led to the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights and delays to nearly 10,000 others, leaving millions of passengers facing travel disruptions at airports across the country.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the nationwide suspension at around 4:00pm local time on Friday (November 13), citing a malfunction in the communication systems used by air traffic control centres. The restriction was lifted at 8:15pm, allowing aircraft departures to resume.

According to the FAA, aircraft already in the air were permitted to land safely at their destinations, while planes on the ground were temporarily prevented from taking off.

Data from flight-tracking service FlightAware showed that airlines were forced to cancel more than 1,000 flights, while nearly 10,000 flights experienced delays as a result of the disruption.

The technical failure caused widespread congestion and confusion at airports across the United States, leaving large numbers of passengers stranded.

The impact also extended beyond US borders, disrupting international aviation and prompting flight cancellations and delays in Canada and Europe.

The incident marked the second time in US history that such a nationwide aviation disruption had occurred. The first followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when US airspace was shut down.

Previously, in January 2023, the FAA had temporarily halted domestic flight departures for less than two hours following a technical problem with its Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system.

Meanwhile, the US Department of Homeland Security said there was no indication that a cyberattack had caused the latest disruption. The US Secretary of Homeland Security also sought to reassure the public that there was no evidence of a cyberattack or sabotage.

Officials from the US Department of Transportation said the disruption resulted from a failure in the telecommunications systems used by air traffic control centres, combined with data overload affecting outdated network routers.

Following the restoration of the communication systems, the FAA lifted the nationwide departure suspension at 8:15pm. Flights gradually resumed, although passengers continued to face disruptions due to cancellations and changes to flight schedules.