US lifts nationwide ground flight shutdown after 4-hour air traffic control outage, no cyber attack confirmed | Today’s news

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has lifted a nationwide ground stop that halted departures across the US on Friday due to “extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns,” NBC News reported. However, the agency warned that it would take some time for flight operations to return to normal.

The four-hour disruption affected more than 10,000 flights, including services from Europe. About 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers were scheduled to depart U.S. airports, raising the possibility of more cancellations and diversions, the AP reported.

What caused the suspension of American flights?

Transport Minister Sean Duffy said the ground shutdown was caused by instability affecting radar and communications systems at air traffic control centers and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities across the country. TRACON centers control aircraft approaching and departing the airport using radar air traffic control.

Duffy said the U.S. did not lose all radar or telecommunications capabilities, but the instability prompted authorities to halt departures as a precaution to protect public safety. He added that there are procedures in place to deal with such a breach.

The FAA said the outage was caused by communication problems at regional air traffic control centers. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters at the White House that the introduction of new technology into the aging air traffic control system has overwhelmed some of its systems.

Was the outage caused by a cyber attack or an AI system?

Mullin said there was “no indication so far that there was anything ‘heinous'” behind the ground stop and described it as a telecommunications outage. He added that investigations were continuing, but maintained that the public was never in danger and that the decision to halt departures was taken out of an abundance of caution.

Investigators should also look into whether the outage was related to the FAA’s nationwide rollout of a new artificial intelligence system designed to identify potential problems and help reroute planes.

When will flight operations return to normal?

Although the FAA has lifted the ground stop, it may take some time to resume normal flight operations. The disruption has left aircraft and airline crews out of position, while restrictions on maximum duty hours for pilots and cabin crew could further complicate efforts to restore flight schedules.

Planes and crews can also be in the wrong places, passengers can miss connecting flights, and airports can face backlogs and canceled flights.

The FAA warned that operations will need time to return to normal.