In 5 articles, what really happened in the USA? The biggest crisis of the last 25 years

On Friday, November 13, the United States experienced one of the biggest air transportation crises in the 25 years since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The communication failure affecting air traffic control centers caused aircraft departures to be suspended across the country.

While the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stopped takeoffs for security reasons at 15.54 local time, planes in the air were allowed to land. The ban, which lasted more than four hours, was lifted around 20.15. However, the crisis disrupted airlines' flight schedules.

According to information from Reuters based on FlightAware data, more than 1,000 flights were canceled and approximately 10 thousand flights were delayed. Aviation data company Cirium reported that more than 1.5 million passengers were planned to leave US airports on approximately 11 thousand flights only after 16:00 when the ban began. Transport Minister Sean Duffy announced that it will take time for flights to return to normal.

So, what does all this mean?

1. OLD TECHNOLOGY LOCKED THE SYSTEM

At the center of the crisis is the outdated communications infrastructure that transfers information between air traffic control centers in the United States. According to Transport Minister Sean Duffy, network devices on the system went down due to data overload. However, it has not yet been determined what caused the loading. According to a Los Angeles Times review, the infrastructure affected by the failure relies on older generation TDM technology, which transmits voice and radar data over the same lines. The outages disrupted the tracking of aircraft positions and communication with pilots.

Moreover, the problems in the infrastructure have been known for years. According to a 2024 report by the U.S. Court of Auditors (GAO), 105 of 138 air traffic control systems examined, or 76 percent, are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable. Reuters' research dated November 14 reveals that incompatible old technologies are used in more than 300 facilities of the FAA. So much so that spare parts for some devices are procured from internet auctions or produced with 3D printers.

2. REPEATING SINCE 2023

The first nationwide take-off decision after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the USA was taken in January 2023. The collapse of the NOTAM system, which transmits critical safety information to pilots, affected more than 10 thousand flights.

The problems continued in the following years. Similar malfunctions in Dallas in September 2025 and Philadelphia in September 2026 caused the delay or cancellation of approximately 9,500 flights.

3. SPARE SYSTEMS ARE ALSO INSUFFICIENT

In modern air traffic control networks, if a communication link fails, alternative connections must be activated. However, the old infrastructure in the USA cannot provide this redundancy under all conditions.

Moreover, replacing old copper cables with fiber optic lines is not enough on its own. According to the management's statement, 68 percent of the old copper network has been renewed. However, it is emphasized that new disruptions cannot be prevented if the communication system is not modernized as a whole.

4. NEW RESOURCE REQUEST

The US Congress approved $12.5 billion for the modernization of air traffic control infrastructure in July 2025.

On November 13, the White House and the Department of Transportation requested another $30.1 billion from Congress for airports and air traffic control infrastructure. It was envisaged that 10.1 billion dollars of this would be allocated directly to the renewal of air traffic control systems.

Following the malfunction, Transport Minister Duffy announced that $50 billion in resources were required for comprehensive modernization. Thus, the crisis became the center of budget discussions in Washington.

5. CAN NEW CRISIS EXPERIENCE?

Although the national departure ban has been lifted as of November 14, the effects of flight delays and cancellations continue. More importantly, the infrastructure problems that paved the way for the crisis have not yet been resolved.

The FAA aims to complete the first phase of modernization by December 2028. However, GAO warns that the program may be delayed due to cost and planning deficiencies.

Therefore, the risk that experts point out is not just new flight cancellations. Repeated communication outages, reduced capacity of control centers and increased pressure on air traffic safety are also possible consequences.

The fundamental problem facing the United States is much bigger than the failure of a single device: Technological vulnerabilities that have been known for years could again cripple one of the world's busiest air transportation networks.