US Air Traffic Control Disruption Cancels Nearly 5,000 Flights
A disruption in the communication network of the US air traffic control centers halted outbound flights across the country for more than four hours. According to data from the flight tracking system FlightAware, as reported by American media, over 10,000 flights experienced delays and nearly 5,000 flights were canceled.
The suspension of flights began at 3:54 p.m. local time on Friday, November 13, and was lifted at 8:15 p.m. This disruption affected all 50 states and left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded at airports.
Reuters, citing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), reported that planes already in flight were allowed to land, but aircraft on the ground were not permitted to take off. The outage also caused airlines’ planes and crews to deviate from their normal schedules and locations.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Doocey said at a White House press conference that the aging air traffic control system encountered a problem. According to him, switches and routers were overwhelmed by data volumes beyond their capacity, which resulted in inconsistent information being transmitted; this caused the system to stop functioning.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Mark V. Mullen stated that there is no evidence so far of a cyberattack or sabotage. However, he emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and noted that passenger safety was not compromised and all flights remained monitored.
Amid speculation about the role of the air traffic management artificial intelligence system known as “SMART,” its manufacturer denied responsibility for the disruption. The exact technical cause of the event is still under investigation by US authorities.
Experts have pointed out that the US air traffic control system struggles with outdated equipment, communication failures, and a shortage of air traffic controllers. This marks the second nationwide halt of outbound flights in the US since the September 11, 2001 attacks; a two-hour disruption, on a much smaller scale, also occurred in 2023.
The US Transportation Secretary stated that the country’s airspace has been reopened but warned that the consequences of the disruption will continue for several days.
