Air travelers across the United States are still reeling after Friday’s rare nationwide ground stop stranded thousands of passengers. The Federal Aviation Administration halted all departures for over four hours before lifting the order Friday night. More than 3,500 planes were in the air when the shutdown began, though every flight landed safely. Knock-on disruptions spilled heavily into Saturday, with over 5,000 flights canceled and thousands more delayed nationwide.
During press briefings on Friday and Saturday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outlined the suspected cause behind the meltdown. Duffy pointed to routine maintenance involving aging copper wiring and newly installed routers from defense contractor L3Harris. According to Duffy, the new equipment malfunctioned at a remote facility and began flooding the network. The rogue routers triggered over 1,000 connection attempts every four to five seconds.
That sudden data surge overwhelmed communications and radar systems at 17 of the FAA’s 22 regional control centers. After 45 minutes of growing instability, officials ordered the ground stop out of an abundance of caution. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford stressed that no control facilities went completely dark during the scare. Homeland Security and transportation officials also confirmed there is zero evidence of a cyberattack.
Still, Duffy did not hold back his frustration with the agency’s aging technology and outside vendors. He stated that federal contractors failed to meet the moment and noted the agency is investigating potential human error. Duffy also renewed his urgent call for $50 billion from Congress to replace outdated copper lines with modern fiber.
Not everyone in aviation is convinced by the official narrative, however. Several media outlets report that dozens of air traffic controllers have pushed back against Duffy’s explanation. Controllers questioned why major system upgrades were attempted during busy afternoon traffic rather than overnight. Airlines expect flight schedules to fully recover by Sunday night as federal investigators work to pinpoint the exact fault.
Sources:
- CBS News – Travelers stranded and thousands of flights canceled after FAA ground stop. Here’s what we know
- The Times of Israel – US aviation shutdown blamed on L3 Harris installed router undergoing routine maintenance
- KSL – US air travel schedule should recover from ground stop by the end of Sunday, FAA says
- Men’s Journal – 60 Air Traffic Controllers Reject Transportation Secretary’s Ground Stop Explanation
- The Nation Thailand – FAA expects US air travel to normalize after nationwide departure halt
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