Failure during modernization of US air traffic control halted flights for more than four hours
A telecommunications failure paralyzed US airspace for more than four hours: air traffic control switches and routers became saturated during the installation of new technology and distributed inconsistent data among the 22 operating centers. The FAA ordered the ground stop and lifted it after confirming system stability. FlightAware recorded more than 9,000 delayed flights and more than 7,000 cancellations on Friday, and by Saturday cancellations exceeded 3,000. The government acknowledged there will be more disruptions during the modernization.
In 50 seconds
- The failure originated in switches and routers of the old system, which could not handle the data volume transmitted by the new digital systems, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
- It was the FAA's second nationwide ground stop since September 11, 2001; the previous one occurred in January 2023 due to a failure in the pilot notification system.
- Congress approved USD 12.5 billion in 2025 to modernize the system and Duffy requested another USD 50 billion the same day as the ground stop.
IASummary generated by artificial intelligence from a story by Infobae. It may contain errors: the original source prevails.




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