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The United States has lifted a temporary nationwide suspension of aircraft departures after more than four hours, allowing flights to resume following a major telecommunications outage that disrupted air traffic control operations across the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted the restrictions on Friday night (November 13), after the technical disruption affected air traffic control centres nationwide.
The FAA had earlier ordered all departing flights to remain grounded, citing extraordinary circumstances and safety concerns. Aircraft already in the air were allowed to land, while international flights were handled on a case-by-case basis.
The disruption was triggered by a telecommunications failure affecting the country’s air traffic control network. The problem initially affected operations in Chicago before the FAA extended the ground stop to airports nationwide.
According to flight-tracking data, the disruption caused thousands of flight cancellations and delays. More than 10,000 flights were delayed and around 5,000 were cancelled, leaving passengers stranded at major airports.
US officials said there was no indication that the incident was linked to a cyberattack or deliberate threat. Authorities were investigating the cause of the technical failure.
Although the flight restrictions have been lifted, airlines are expected to face continued operational disruptions as they work to clear the backlog and restore normal schedules.
The nationwide ground stop was only the second such suspension of US flight departures since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
A similar nationwide disruption occurred in January 2023 due to an outage in the aviation notification system.
