More than 4,000 U.S. flights were cancelled and 3,000 more were delayed as the United States worked to recover from the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded at airports nationwide.
Federal Aviation Administration administrator Bryan Bedford said airline operations should return to normal by the end of Saturday, noting that while carriers will still face residual delays and cancellations, the “worst is behind us,” RTÉ reported.
Here’s the latest: Operations are slowly returning to normal this morning. Planes are pushing back, taxiing, and taking off, and it is safe to fly. We are in close coordination with the airlines to support the ongoing recovery. You will continue to see some delays and…
The disruption started on Friday afternoon when new technology being integrated into the nation’s air traffic control system overloaded antiquated equipment. Trump administration officials explained that the technical failure caused intermittent communications and radar gaps, forcing the four-hour ground stop.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that an FAA contractor, L3Harris, had been replacing old copper wire with new fibre wire when the work triggered a system overload. Duffy questioned whether contractor incompetence or a faulty router caused the failure.
There are currently 3,100 airborne aircraft bound for US airports amid nationwide ground stop. No additional aircraft are taking off at this time. pic.twitter.com/GGqfb8QXhP
“Our contractor didn’t meet the moment,” Duffy said.
The incident marked the longest nationwide ground stop in the U.S. since the September 11th, 2001, attacks. The only other nationwide ground stop since 2001 occurred in January 2023, when an FAA system issue halted domestic departures for about 90 minutes.
The FAA has issued a nationwide ground stop for departing flights, including at DFW. Travelers should check with their airlines for more information on delays and cancellations. pic.twitter.com/QUkTvt6L19
On Friday, the ground stop forced airlines to cancel nearly 10,000 flights and delay over 7,000 others. Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and American Airlines each cancelled about 20% of their flights on Saturday, while JetBlue cancelled 40%.
Senior government sources told CBS News that preliminary investigations indicate the issue was limited to Cisco 600 series routers manufactured between 2001 and 2006. Those sources said the faulty equipment became overwhelmed and fed out-of-sync data packets into the broader air traffic control system.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters on Friday that there was zero evidence the outage resulted from a cyberattack or a rogue AI system, though investigators have not completely ruled out those possibilities. The National Security Agency is assisting the Department of Homeland Security with the ongoing investigation.
| Airline | Cancellation Rate (Saturday) |
|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 20% |
| United Airlines | 20% |
| American Airlines | 20% |
| JetBlue Airways | 40% |
In response to the crisis, Politico reported that Duffy escalated his previous requests to Congress for funding, calling for $50 billion to overhaul aging air traffic control infrastructure instead of the $30 billion he had sought earlier.
The FAA-mandated ground stop has been lifted and we are safely resuming flights. We encourage you to check the Delta app or https://t.co/19TGEJUCaj for flight status and the latest updates. Thank you for your understanding as we work as quickly as possible to fully restore…
“What we have is an incredibly old air traffic control system,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“This is an emergency,” Duffy said, adding that routers became overloaded with data and began providing inconsistent information.
There has been a temporary telecommunications outage – out of an abundance of caution all flights have been halted. Every flight has been accounted for and international flights will be handled on a case by case basis.
Because the FAA was responsible for the operational halt, airlines are not required under federal rules to provide financial compensation to stranded passengers. Major carriers issued travel waivers allowing customers to rebook flights without incurring change fees.
Federal officials confirmed that the immediate technical problem has been resolved and that the airspace is currently operating safely.
The FAA has issued a ground stop affecting departures at ATL and other major airports. Departures are temporarily suspended. Travelers should check with their airlines for flight updates. We will provide an update as more information becomes available.
Earlier coverage: US Flights Resume After Nationwide Ground Stop Caused by Communications Outage
More on Sean Duffy
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“With a brand new state of the art system, we wouldn't have these outages… At 8:15 tonight, eastern time, we've opened up the air space…" Secretary Mullin & Secretary Duffy provide an update on the FAA National Ground Stop. pic.twitter.com/twTyQ9UJQ0”
Secretary Mullin and Secretary Duffy Brief Members of the Press on the FAA Ground Stop https://t.co/uyvQ5bVOvb
We are working to fully restore operations following the nationwide ground stop. Flexible options are available to move flights at no extra cost. If your travel plans allow, we encourage you to move your flight to Monday, Nov. 16 or later. To check your flight status, visit the…
