Flights grounded across US after air traffic communications outage - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON – The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded all departing flights nationwide on Nov 13 after a communications failure hit air traffic control centres in only the second such shutdown since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

The shutdown caused chaos at airports, with airlines cancelling more than 1,000 flights and delaying nearly 10,000, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware.

Thousands of aircraft were allowed to land, but those on the ground could not take off. The disruption quickly spread beyond the US, forcing the cancellation of flights from Canada and Europe.

The Department of Homeland Security said there were no signs that the outage was caused by a cyberattack.

“There is no indication as of yet that this was a nefarious attack against us. It’s just a telecommunications outage as of right now,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters outside the White House, adding that US President Donald Trump had been briefed.

“There’s no reason for the public to be afraid or scared for their loved ones. This isn’t another 9/11,” Mullin added.

He said the department was examining all possible causes, including a new AI-powered air traffic control system.

The disruption is the latest and most dramatic sign of strain on a US air traffic control system beset by equipment failures, communications problems and controller shortages as the FAA tries to replace ageing infrastructure.

Much of the FAA’s air traffic control technology is decades old. Last week, the agency said it would phase out floppy disks used to provide weather and other critical information at more than 400 facilities nationwide by the end of 2028.

From Boston to Seattle and New York to Los Angeles, passengers crowded terminal halls and airline desks as departure boards filled with delays and cancellations, while aircraft remained parked at gates.

“I might cry at some point, but not yet,” said Louise Maher, 47, who was still hoping to fly from Newark to London on the night of Nov 13 despite warnings that air traffic control restrictions could delay her British Airways flight.

The shutdown also left arriving aircraft stranded on taxiways as gates filled up.

Airline officials said the FAA had not indicated when the ground stop might be lifted, but there were preliminary indications that the communications issues were improving in some places.

The world’s busiest airspace has experienced setbacks in recent years that disrupted flights and risked safety.

In January 2025, a midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport killed 67 people. The White House and the Department of Transportation urged Congress on Nov 13 to approve a further US$30.1 billion (S$38.7 billion) to upgrade the United States’ ageing airports and air traffic control system.

The FAA announced the nationwide ground stop at 3.54pm Eastern Time (4.54am on Nov 14 Singapore time). When the order was issued, 4,042 flights were airborne and bound for US airports, according to Flightradar24.

Shortly before the announcement, the FAA halted traffic in Chicago due to air traffic control communications issues.

Robert Mann, an aviation analyst and principal of R.W. Mann & Co said: “If the ground stop continues through the evening, it likely will take the weekend to resolve the disruptions to airlines’ networks.”

The only other nationwide ground stop since the Sept 11 attacks came in January 2023, when the FAA halted domestic departures for less than two hours.

The outage comes amid heightened concern about aviation security worldwide after a wave of hoax bomb threats in November disrupted dozens of passenger flights across Europe, forcing unscheduled landings and prompting fighter jets to escort or intercept aircraft.

There was no immediate indication the US communications failure was related to those incidents.

The US National Weather Service also said on Nov 13 that it was experiencing nationwide internet and communications issues. There was no immediate indication that the two incidents were connected. REUTERS