The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ban on aircraft departures imposed after a communications failure disrupted air traffic control centres across the country, forcing hundreds of flights to divert and leaving passengers stranded at airports.
The FAA ordered all departures from US airports to be suspended at 3.36 pm Eastern Time on Friday (10.36 pm Cyprus time). The restriction was lifted almost five hours later, at 8.15 pm Eastern Time (3.15 am Saturday in Cyprus).
At a subsequent press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the nationwide grounding had been ordered as a precaution.
Duffy blamed the disruption on the country’s ageing air traffic control system and called for substantial investment to modernise it.
“The president has asked for $30 billion. I want $50 billion,” he said.
Mullin said there was no indication that the communications failure had been caused by a “cyberattack”. He also called for the “modernisation” of air traffic control infrastructure, estimating the cost at “about $50 billion”.
The US air traffic control network has been plagued by technical failures, communications problems and shortages of controllers, as the FAA works to replace outdated infrastructure.
Congress approved $12.5 billion for modernisation last year, while the FAA and White House requested an additional $30.1 billion on Friday.
The incident marked only the second nationwide suspension of aircraft departures since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The previous shutdown occurred in January 2023, when the FAA halted departures for almost two hours.
Hundreds of flights diverted
At least 827 flights had been diverted by 7.05 pm Eastern Time on Friday, according to aviation data analytics company Cirium.
Of those, 670 returned to their departure airports, while 157 were diverted to other airports.
Washington Dulles International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Nashville International Airport were among those receiving large numbers of diverted flights.
Around 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers were scheduled to depart from US airports after 4 pm Eastern Time, raising concerns about further cancellations and diversions.
United Airlines and American Airlines said aircraft already in the air would continue their journeys.
American Airlines also said it would work to get passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible following the lifting of restrictions.
Passengers stranded at airports
At Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, passengers learned of the suspension through departure boards displaying delays throughout the terminals.
Many contacted relatives and friends as they considered whether to spend the night in Chicago or find alternative ways to travel.
Amber McQuilkin, 27, from Seattle, faced missing a trip to New York with friends for the League of Legends World Championship finals.
She said her friends had already reached their destination, while she was receiving little clear information about her flight.
Austin Curtis and his wife faced similar problems while travelling from South Bend, Indiana, to Denver for a friend’s baby shower.
The couple had already boarded a flight at O’Hare when passengers were told to leave the aircraft.
Sports teams and cargo flights affected
The disruption also affected travel arrangements for NBA and NHL teams, as well as university sports teams.
NFL teams expressed concern about whether they would be able to reach their destinations in time for weekend games.
Cargo operations were also delayed.
FedEx, the world’s largest air cargo carrier, said it was prepared to activate contingency plans to limit the disruption.
US airlines transport approximately 61,000 tonnes of cargo each day, ranging from letters to parcels, to and from more than 220 countries.
Ageing air traffic control technology under scrutiny
Authorities were also examining whether the disruption could be linked to the FAA’s introduction of a new artificial intelligence system designed to identify problems and recommend changes to aircraft routes.
However, the system operates from a single facility near Washington and sends recommendations to air traffic control centres.
The US government has launched a programme to modernise its ageing air traffic control infrastructure following congressional approval of $12.5 billion in funding.
The work includes replacing old copper cables with fibre-optic connections and upgrading airport radio systems.
Duffy said a further $30 billion was needed to complete the modernisation programme, while the White House has begun pressing Congress to approve additional funding.
Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo compared Friday’s incident with a communications outage in September that affected hundreds of flights across the northeastern United States.
He noted that the latest disruption was nationwide rather than regional.
Arroyo explained that when air traffic controllers cannot communicate with aircraft, flights must be grounded to protect passenger safety.
He also distinguished Friday’s suspension from the grounding ordered after the September 11 attacks, when aircraft already in the air were instructed to land immediately.
Read more: No indication of attack, US says after grounding flights countrywide
