Nationwide flight ban lifted in the USA

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced that the decision to suspend departures across the country was lifted as of 04.15 Türkiye time on November 14.

Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin made statements about the restriction imposed by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) at a press conference at the White House.

Duffy said that they immediately stopped the takeoffs as irregularities were observed in the functioning of the radar and communication systems as of 15.36 local time. Stating that not all radar and communication systems were disabled, Duffy noted that they implemented the restriction as a precaution.

Stating that there was no outage in the devices renewed during the US President Donald Trump period, Duffy said that the problem was caused by old hardware. Duffy argued that such outages could be prevented with a new system equipped with advanced technology.

Stating that air traffic control centers and terminal approach control units (TRACON) are active, Duffy said, "We reopened the airspace at 20.15 this evening (04.15 November 14)."

Duffy stated that not all flights will be available immediately after the restriction is lifted and it will take time to return to normal. Duffy said they will work to make as many flights as possible.

Duffy says $50 billion needed for new air traffic control system

Stating that air traffic control systems should be rebuilt with the latest technology, Duffy emphasized that the system should not be managed with "patches or temporary solutions".

Duffy said Trump has begun the rebuilding process with a sweeping $12.5 billion bill. Stating that the work at the FAA is progressing at an unprecedented pace, Duffy stated that the amount in question only meets a part of the financing need.

Stating that they often encounter such problems, Duffy said, "President Trump requested 30 billion dollars, but I think 50 billion dollars is needed." he said.

Mullin announced that there was no evidence of a cyber attack

Secretary of Homeland Security Mullin said that the outage was publicly associated with Microsoft, but there was no connection between the incident and the company. Mullin stated that there has been no evidence of a cyber attack so far and the teams are continuing to investigate.

Mullin said the government took action with unprecedented speed across all its agencies. He explained that they are trying to support passengers who may need assistance by working in cooperation with airports, local governments and states.

Stating that things are currently progressing correctly, Mullin emphasized that the public's safety was not endangered throughout the process. "There was never a risk to life safety, no flights were compromised. The FAA was able to manage the situation. We took this step purely as a precautionary measure," Mullin said.

Answering the question about whether the outage was caused by a cyber attack or artificial intelligence, Mullin stated that they have not yet reached a definitive conclusion and that the current findings do not indicate this possibility. Mullin said that the initial findings pointed to a mechanical problem, that the investigation was ongoing and that they did not completely exclude the possibility of a cyber attack.

"We have seen no evidence that this was a cyberattack or a superintelligence attack," Mullin said.

Restriction exceeding four hours affected thousands of flights

The FAA suspended departures at all airports across the US on November 13 due to a communication problem affecting air traffic control centers. The restriction lasted more than four hours.