US flights resume after nationwide grounding; officials blame aging equipment for outage

Flights across the United States resumed the evening of Nov. 13 after a nationwide ground stop  due to widespread problems with air traffic control radar and communications systems brought travel to a halt. In a White House press briefing shortly after flights resumed, Trump administration officials pointed to aging equipment as the apparent cause.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that U.S. airspace reopened at 8:15 p.m. ET after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restored operations at its air traffic control centers and terminal radar approach control facilities.

Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said investigators had found no evidence of a cyberattack but emphasized that the investigation was continuing and no possibilities had been definitively ruled out.

Thousands of flights disrupted

Duffy said the FAA issued the nationwide ground stop after air traffic controllers began experiencing inconsistent radar data and communications with aircraft.

More than 3,500 aircraft were airborne when the problems emerged. Controllers directed planes to land using established safety procedures, reducing the number of aircraft in U.S. airspace to fewer than 400 by the time of Duffy's update.

According to AP News, at least 827 flights had been diverted by early evening, while approximately 11,000 flights carrying more than 1.5 million passengers had been scheduled to depart after 4 p.m., leaving airlines facing extensive delays and cancellations.

Officials said passengers were never in danger and that the grounding was ordered out of an abundance of caution.

"My number one job is America's safety," Duffy said, emphasizing that air traffic controllers and pilots successfully navigated the disruption and “effectively and safely got aircraft out of the airspace.” 

The FAA continued allowing certain critical flights, including medical evacuations, shipments of lifesaving medications, and law enforcement operations.

Although airspace has reopened, Duffy warned that flight operations would not immediately return to normal. Airlines must reposition aircraft and ensure that pilots and flight attendants are available before resuming service.

Duffy encouraged travelers to check directly with their airlines and said officials hoped to see significant improvements Saturday.

The Department of Homeland Security also activated Federal Emergency Management Agency resources to assist stranded passengers, particularly those needing access to essential medications.

Aging technology suspected in shutdown

Duffy attributed the disruption to overloaded switches and routers within the FAA's decades-old telecommunications infrastructure.

The system still relies on analog technology and copper wiring dating to the 1980s, he said.

According to Duffy, newer equipment installed as part of the administration's modernization efforts continued functioning, while older components began producing inconsistent data.

Officials were able to restore operations by implementing fixes that reduced the burden on the older equipment.

Mullin suggested that the introduction of newer technology into the aging network may have overwhelmed the older system, although the precise cause remains under investigation.

The officials also sought to dispel speculation connecting the disruption to Microsoft or a cyberattack.

"We have seen zero evidence that this was a cyberattack," Mullin said, adding that federal cybersecurity teams had found no indications of unauthorized access or other evidence of malicious activity.

However, Mullin stressed that investigators were continuing to examine the incident and would not rule out a cyberattack until their review was complete.

"It appears that this was mechanically driven," he said. "However, we're still looking."

Administration calls for $50 billion overhaul

Duffy used the incident to renew the Trump administration's call for Congress to fully fund a modernization of the nation's air traffic control system.

He said President Donald Trump had requested approximately $30 billion in additional funding, while Duffy advocated a $50 billion investment to replace aging hardware, software, telecommunications infrastructure, and control towers.

The administration previously secured $12.5 billion for initial improvements through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, according to Duffy.

He argued that Congress must move beyond incremental repairs and fund a comprehensive replacement of the system.

"This is an emergency. I want Congress to give us emergency funding. This is bipartisan. This is American,” Duffy said, advocating for the $50 billion. “President Trump is a builder. He's going to build this network and deliver for the American people, but the President can't deliver for America unless the Congress delivers the money to make it happen.” 

Duffy pointed to previous air traffic control outages, including repeated disruptions affecting Newark, New Jersey, as evidence of longstanding problems with the nation's aviation infrastructure.

Mullin said Trump had declared a national emergency and urged Congress to respond.

"This is a national security risk," Mullin said. "We just saw what took place when we have vulnerabilities, and we have old systems."

While officials said the immediate technical problems had been resolved, Duffy warned that the aging equipment would remain vulnerable to future failures until the broader system is replaced.